Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic F5

Following is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic F5, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the SH-50 (16MP) and the F5 (14MP) is very well matched and they feature the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SH-50 was manufactured at a similar time to the F5 and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a short view of how the SH-50 grades against the F5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SH-50 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SH-50 Gallery & Panasonic F5 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus SH-50 comes with external dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Panasonic F5 has specifications of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic F5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the SH-50 compared to the F5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-50 and F5 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes purely by looking at specifications. The image underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-50 and F5.

Plainly, both cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but different resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus SH-50 to resolve greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a little more aggressively.