Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic SZ5

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-600 and Panasonic SZ5, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-600 (12MP) and the SZ5 (14MP) is relatively similar but the E-600 (Four Thirds) and SZ5 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-600 was announced 3 years before the SZ5 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-600 matches up versus the SZ5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-600 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-600 Gallery and Panasonic SZ5 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-600 features outer dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") with a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ5 has proportions of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-600 and Panasonic SZ5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the E-600 versus the SZ5.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-600 and SZ5 is 71 and 95 respectively.

Generally, it's difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes purely by going over specs. The pic underneath may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-600 and SZ5.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-600 with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic SZ5 will offer greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged E-600 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.