Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic G9

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic G9, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the SH-50 (16MP) and the G9 (20MP) is fairly close but the SH-50 (1/2.3") and G9 (Four Thirds) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The SH-50 was revealed 5 years prior to the G9 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a concise summary of how the SH-50 scores versus the G9 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic Lumix DC-G9. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SH-50 Gallery and Panasonic G9 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SH-50 offers external dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G9 has specifications of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") and a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs).

Check the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic G9 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the SH-50 against the G9.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the SH-50 and G9 is 88 and 62 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions simply by researching a spec sheet. The picture below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-50 and G9.

Clearly, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SH-50 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Panasonic G9 will render extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged SH-50 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.