Clicky

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
96
Imaging
34
Features
20
Overall
28
Olympus FE-5010 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 Key Specs

Olympus FE-5010
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 36-180mm (F3.5-5.6) lens
  • 130g - 96 x 57 x 21mm
  • Announced January 2009
Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Released January 2012
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the FE-5010 (12MP) and SZ1 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The FE-5010 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the SZ1 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the FE-5010 grades vs the SZ1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5010 over the Panasonic SZ1

 FE-5010 SZ1 

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Olympus FE-5010

 SZ1 FE-5010 
ReleasedJanuary 2012January 2009More recent by 36 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Olympus FE-5010 and Panasonic SZ1

 FE-5010 SZ1 
Focus manually Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus FE-5010 has external dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 130 grams (0.29 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ1 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Compare the Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the FE-5010 vs the SZ1.

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FE-5010 and SZ1 is 96 and 95 respectively.

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements just by seeing specs. The graphic here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-5010 and SZ1.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You should expect the Panasonic SZ1 to show greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older FE-5010 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus FE-5010
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ1
20
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
34
decent megapixels (16MP)
offers face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Street Comparison

Olympus FE-5010 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Street photography camera
66
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
lighter than average in class (130 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (131 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Olympus FE-5010 Sports photography advice
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography advice
33
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
offers tracking focus
slow frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-5010 Travel photography advice
Panasonic SZ1 Travel photography advice
60
lighter than average in class (130 grams)
environment proof
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (36mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
70
lighter than average (131 grams)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-5010 Landscape photography info
Panasonic SZ1 Landscape photography info
31
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proof
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (36mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
43
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-5010 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ1 as a Vlogging camera
28
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average in class (130 grams)
wide angle not good (36mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 pxls)
doesn't have microphone socket
32
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focus
lighter than average (131g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have microphone support
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Olympus FE-5010 vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-5010 and Panasonic SZ1
 Olympus FE-5010Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus FE-5010 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-01-07 2012-01-09
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3968 x 2976 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 36-180mm (5.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.6 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range 3cm 4cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 8 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m 5.60 m
Flash modes Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 130g (0.29 pounds) 131g (0.29 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 250 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-42B -
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage xD-Picture Card (1GB, 2GB), microSD (MASD-1 is required) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch price $130 $179