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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 front
Portability
71
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Announced January 2016
Panasonic LZ20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Push to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-525mm (F3.1-5.8) lens
  • 499g - 120 x 76 x 80mm
  • Announced July 2012
  • Renewed by Panasonic LZ30
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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and LZ20 (16MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and LZ20 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The PEN-F was announced 3 years after the LZ20 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic LZ20 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the PEN-F matches up versus the LZ20 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Panasonic LZ20

 PEN-F LZ20 
AnnouncedJanuary 2016July 2012Newer by 43 months
Manual focus More accurate focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k460kClearer display (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ20 over the Olympus PEN-F

 LZ20 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic LZ20

 PEN-F LZ20 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus PEN-F comes with physical measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LZ20 has specifications of 120mm x 76mm x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") having a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the PEN-F versus the LZ20.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and LZ20 is 84 and 71 respectively.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions merely by reading specifications. The pic underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the PEN-F and LZ20.

Plainly, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The PEN-F using its larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will offer you more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The newer PEN-F will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic LZ20 as a Portrait photography camera
75
has manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
36
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus PEN-F
Street photography with Panasonic LZ20
84
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes touch focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
45
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
more heavy than competition (499 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Sports photography advice
Panasonic LZ20 Sports photography advice
67
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
bad battery pack (330 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
47
excellent zoom range (25-525mm 21.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
good battery life (380 shots)
low frames per second (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography details
Panasonic LZ20 Travel photography details
75
includes touch focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
bad battery pack (330 CIPA)
58
good battery life (380 CIPA)
good megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (525mm)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than competition (499 grams)
does not posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic LZ20 as a Landscape photography camera
76
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
bad battery pack (330 shots)
45
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
good battery life (380 shots)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic LZ20 as a Vlogging camera
78
display is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
25
relatively wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not posses selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone support
more heavy than competition (499 grams)
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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic LZ20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic LZ20
 Olympus PEN-FPanasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN-F Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2016-01-27 2012-07-18
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 1600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW support
Lowest enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-525mm (21.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-5.8
Macro focus distance - 2cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 15s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.80 m
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 1280 x 720p ( 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 427g (0.94 pounds) 499g (1.10 pounds)
Dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 120 x 76 x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos 380 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $1,000 $250