Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic SZ8

Here is a extended comparison of the Olympus E-600 and Panasonic SZ8, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-600 (12MP) and SZ8 (16MP) and the E-600 (Four Thirds) and SZ8 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-600 was brought out 5 years before the SZ8 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-600 matches up versus the SZ8 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-600 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-600 Gallery & Panasonic SZ8 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-600 has got outer measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") and a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ8 has proportions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

See the Olympus E-600 and Panasonic SZ8 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose during that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-600 against the SZ8.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-600 and SZ8 is 71 and 94 respectively.

Generally, it is difficult to see the difference in sensor sizing merely by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-600 and SZ8.

Clearly, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-600 due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ8 will show greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older E-600 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.