Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic LF1

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus SH-50 versus Panasonic LF1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and LF1 (12MP) and the SH-50 (1/2.3") and LF1 (1/1.7") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SH-50 was revealed 10 months earlier than the LF1 so they are of a similar age. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the SH-50 matches up vs the LF1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SH-50 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-50 Gallery & Panasonic LF1 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-50 has outer dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Panasonic LF1 has dimensions of 103mm x 62mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SH-50 versus Panasonic LF1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the SH-50 compared to the LF1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the SH-50 and LF1 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by looking at a spec sheet. The pic below might give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-50 and LF1.

As you can see, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SH-50 using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Olympus SH-50 will give you more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged SH-50 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.