Olympus E-450 vs Panasonic SZ5

Below is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-450 versus Panasonic SZ5, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-450 (10MP) and SZ5 (14MP) and the E-450 (Four Thirds) and SZ5 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

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The E-450 was released 4 years prior to the SZ5 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-450 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-450 scores vs the SZ5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-450 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-450 Gallery and Panasonic SZ5 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-450 has exterior dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ5 has dimensions of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-450 versus Panasonic SZ5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the E-450 versus the SZ5.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-450 and SZ5 is 77 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it can be hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing technical specs. The graphic here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-450 and SZ5.

As you can tell, both of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-450 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic SZ5 will deliver greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older E-450 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.