Olympus E-450 vs Panasonic ZS8

Here is a thorough review of the Olympus E-450 versus Panasonic ZS8, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-450 (10MP) and ZS8 (14MP) and the E-450 (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-450 was unveiled 3 years prior to the ZS8 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-450 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-450 scores versus the ZS8 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-450 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-450 Gallery & Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-450 features outer measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS8 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-450 versus Panasonic ZS8 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at that moment. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-450 against the ZS8.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-450 and ZS8 is 77 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing simply by checking technical specs. The graphic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-450 and ZS8.

As you can tell, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-450 using its larger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Panasonic ZS8 will resolve more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The older E-450 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.