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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Olympus SH-50 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 Key Specs

Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Released January 2013
Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Launched June 2012
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS20
Photography Glossary

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 Overview

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus SH-50 versus Panasonic ZS15, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and ZS15 (12MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SH-50 was revealed 7 months after the ZS15 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going right into a in-depth comparison, here is a short introduction of how the SH-50 scores vs the ZS15 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Panasonic ZS15

 SH-50 ZS15 
LaunchedJanuary 2013June 2012Newer by 7 months
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Olympus SH-50

 ZS15 SH-50 

Common features in the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic ZS15

 SH-50 ZS15 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Screen resolution460k460kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-50 offers external 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) and the Panasonic ZS15 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-50 versus Panasonic ZS15 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the SH-50 and the ZS15.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-50 and ZS15 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by seeing a spec sheet. The image below will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-50 and ZS15.

Clearly, both of these cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different megapixels. You should expect the Olympus SH-50 to produce more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The younger SH-50 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SH-50
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS15
44
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
offers face detection focusing
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
21
no manual focus
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SH-50
Street photography with Panasonic ZS15
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
has focus via touch
lighter than competition (269g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (208g)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography information
48
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
36
long zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (260 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS15 Travel photography info
69
lighter than competition (269g)
has focus via touch
good resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
missing Timelapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
61
lighter than average in class (208 grams)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
very long reach (384mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
terrible battery pack (260 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZS15 Landscape photography details
49
you can focus manually
relatively wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
37
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
terrible battery pack (260 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SH-50
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS15
34
relatively wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (269g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing external microphone support
33
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (208 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly display
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic ZS15
 Olympus SH-50Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SH-50 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ25
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2013-01-08 2012-06-29
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 23
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-384mm (16.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing distance 5cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15 secs 15 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 12.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 269 gr (0.59 lb) 208 gr (0.46 lb)
Physical dimensions 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery ID SLB-10A -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Price at release $300 $279