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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9

Portability
72
Imaging
34
Features
38
Overall
35
Olympus SP-590 UZ front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 front
Portability
82
Imaging
60
Features
80
Overall
68

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 Key Specs

Olympus SP-590 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-676mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 413g - 116 x 84 x 81mm
  • Introduced January 2009
  • New Model is Olympus SP-600 UZ
Panasonic GX9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 407g - 124 x 72 x 47mm
  • Introduced February 2018
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 Overview

Here is a complete analysis of the Olympus SP-590 UZ versus Panasonic GX9, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the SP-590 UZ (12MP) and GX9 (20MP) and the SP-590 UZ (1/2.3") and GX9 (Four Thirds) feature different sensor sizing.

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The SP-590 UZ was revealed 10 years prior to the GX9 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic GX9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a short summary of how the SP-590 UZ scores against the GX9 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-590 UZ over the Panasonic GX9

 SP-590 UZ GX9 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GX9 over the Olympus SP-590 UZ

 GX9 SP-590 UZ 
IntroducedFebruary 2018January 2009Fresher by 110 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1240k230kCrisper screen (+1010k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Panasonic GX9

 SP-590 UZ GX9 
Focus manually More precise focus
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-590 UZ has got outside dimensions of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") along with a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Panasonic GX9 has proportions of 124mm x 72mm x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") along with a weight of 407 grams (0.90 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SP-590 UZ versus Panasonic GX9 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the SP-590 UZ vs the GX9.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the SP-590 UZ and GX9 is 72 and 82 respectively.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading specs. The visual underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SP-590 UZ and GX9.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SP-590 UZ with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Panasonic GX9 will offer you greater detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older SP-590 UZ is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic GX9 Portrait photography highlights
36
you can focus manually
exports RAW files
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
76
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Street photography highlights
Panasonic GX9 Street photography highlights
59
image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW files
environment proof
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
84
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
boasts focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic GX9 as a Sports photography camera
38
long zoom range (26-676mm 26.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
environment proof
max fps low (6.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
72
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
sensor has phase detect AF
low battery power (260 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic GX9 as a Travel photography camera
58
environment proof
built-in flash
quite wide (26mm)
very long zoom (676mm)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
71
connects via bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
low battery power (260 CIPA)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Landscape photography information
Panasonic GX9 Landscape photography information
45
you can focus manually
quite wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW files
environment proof
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
77
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
low battery power (260 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-590 UZ Vlogging information
Panasonic GX9 Vlogging information
24
quite wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone port
35
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone socket
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Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic GX9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-590 UZ and Panasonic GX9
 Olympus SP-590 UZPanasonic Lumix DC-GX9
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SP-590 UZ Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-01-07 2018-02-13
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3968 x 2976 5184 x 3888
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Minimum native ISO 64 200
RAW photos
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 49
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens zoom range 26-676mm (26.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.0 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 107
Crop factor 5.9 2.1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,240k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,760k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/16000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames per sec 9.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 8.00 m 6.00 m (at ISO 200)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Max video resolution 640x480 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 413g (0.91 lb) 407g (0.90 lb)
Dimensions 116 x 84 x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") 124 x 72 x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 images
Battery type - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 photos over 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage xD Picture Card, microSD Card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported)
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $249 $1,000