Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic SZ8

The following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic SZ8, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and SZ8 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and SZ8 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-5 was announced 3 years before the SZ8 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-5 grades against the SZ8 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Panasonic SZ8 Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 features physical dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ8 has specifications of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic SZ8 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-5 vs the SZ8.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and SZ8 is 58 and 94 respectively.

Generally, it's difficult to envision the difference in sensor dimensions merely by going through technical specs. The picture underneath will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and SZ8.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-5 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic SZ8 will provide more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-5 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.