Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic SZ7

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-M10 versus Panasonic SZ7, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M10 (16MP) and the SZ7 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and SZ7 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-M10 was released 2 years after the SZ7 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-M10 matches up versus the SZ7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M10 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M10 Gallery & Panasonic SZ7 Gallery.

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M10 offers external dimensions of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ7 has proportions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M10 versus Panasonic SZ7 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M10 and the SZ7.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-M10 and SZ7 is 82 and 95 respectively.

Often, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes purely by going over specs. The image underneath might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M10 and SZ7.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M10 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Olympus E-M10 will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more recent E-M10 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.