Olympus SP-590 UZ vs Panasonic TS5

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Panasonic TS5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Waterproof by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the SP-590 UZ (12MP) and TS5 (16MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SP-590 UZ was manufactured 5 years prior to the TS5 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-590 UZ being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic TS5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise summation of how the SP-590 UZ grades versus the TS5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SP-590 UZ & Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SP-590 UZ Gallery & Panasonic TS5 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-590 UZ has got outside measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 81mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 413 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Panasonic TS5 has proportions of 110mm x 67mm x 29mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.1") having a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SP-590 UZ and Panasonic TS5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the SP-590 UZ vs the TS5.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the SP-590 UZ and TS5 is 72 and 91 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to imagine the difference between sensor measurements purely by looking at technical specs. The photograph below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-590 UZ and TS5.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can expect to see the Panasonic TS5 to give greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The older SP-590 UZ is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.