Olympus SP-565UZ vs Panasonic SZ5

Following is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus SP-565UZ and Panasonic SZ5, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SP-565UZ (10MP) and SZ5 (14MP) but they use the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The SP-565UZ was brought out 4 years prior to the SZ5 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summation of how the SP-565UZ grades versus the SZ5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SP-565UZ & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SP-565UZ Gallery & Panasonic SZ5 Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus SP-565UZ comes with outside dimensions of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") having a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ5 has sizing of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SP-565UZ and Panasonic SZ5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the SP-565UZ compared to the SZ5.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SP-565UZ and SZ5 is 72 and 95 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes only by going through specs. The image below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SP-565UZ and SZ5.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can anticipate the Panasonic SZ5 to provide greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SP-565UZ will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.