Olympus FE-45 vs Panasonic ZS80

Below is a detailed review of the Olympus FE-45 versus Panasonic ZS80, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the FE-45 (10MP) and ZS80 (20MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The FE-45 was revealed 10 years before the ZS80 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the FE-45 matches up versus the ZS80 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-45 and Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80. The full galleries are provided at Olympus FE-45 Gallery and Panasonic ZS80 Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus FE-45 provides external measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS80 has sizing of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") and a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs).

See the Olympus FE-45 versus Panasonic ZS80 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the FE-45 versus the ZS80.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the FE-45 and ZS80 is 95 and 86 respectively.

Usually, its tough to imagine the gap in sensor measurements merely by researching technical specs. The visual below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the FE-45 and ZS80.

As you have seen, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You should count on the Panasonic ZS80 to provide you with extra detail because of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older FE-45 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.