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Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8

Portability
78
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus SP-620 UZ front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 front
Portability
94
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs

Olympus SP-620 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-525mm (F3.1-5.8) lens
  • 435g - 110 x 74 x 74mm
  • Revealed January 2012
  • Succeeded the Olympus SP-610UZ
Panasonic SZ8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
  • 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
  • Revealed January 2014
Photography Glossary

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview

In this article, we will be reviewing the Olympus SP-620 UZ versus Panasonic SZ8, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the SP-620 UZ (16MP) and the SZ8 (16MP) is relatively comparable and they come with the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SP-620 UZ was manufactured 24 months earlier than the SZ8 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short highlight of how the SP-620 UZ matches up vs the SZ8 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-620 UZ over the Panasonic SZ8

 SP-620 UZ SZ8 

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus SP-620 UZ

 SZ8 SP-620 UZ 
RevealedJanuary 2014January 2012Fresher by 24 months
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SP-620 UZ and Panasonic SZ8

 SP-620 UZ SZ8 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-620 UZ provides physical measurements of 110mm x 74mm x 74mm (4.3" x 2.9" x 2.9") along with a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ8 has dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SP-620 UZ versus Panasonic SZ8 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the SP-620 UZ versus the SZ8.

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-620 UZ and SZ8 is 78 and 94 respectively.

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing simply by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic below should give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-620 UZ and SZ8.

Clearly, both the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing and the same MP therefore you can expect comparable quality of photographs however you would want to take the age of the cameras into account. The older SP-620 UZ will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SP-620 UZ
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ8
34
decent MP (16MP)
comes with face detection focus
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
35
megapixel count decent (16MP)
includes face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ as a Street photography camera
Panasonic SZ8 as a Street photography camera
50
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (159 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic SZ8 as a Sports photography camera
48
incredible zoom range (25-525mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
34
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (200 shots)
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ Travel photography info
Panasonic SZ8 Travel photography info
61
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (525mm)
does not have Timelapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
67
lighter than competition in class (159 grams)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
great zoom (288mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
terrible battery power (200 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SP-620 UZ
Landscape photography with Panasonic SZ8
41
reasonably wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
42
really wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
terrible battery power (200 per charge)
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ8 as a Vlogging camera
28
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone support
32
really wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focusing
lighter than competition in class (159g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic socket
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Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-620 UZ and Panasonic SZ8
 Olympus SP-620 UZPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SP-620 UZ Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2012-01-10 2014-01-06
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 1600
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-525mm (21.0x) 24-288mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.1-5.8 f/3.1-6.3
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology TFT Color LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 8 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1500 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate - 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 6.00 m 5.20 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 435 grams (0.96 lbs) 159 grams (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 110 x 74 x 74mm (4.3" x 2.9" x 2.9") 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 200 pictures
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model 4 x AA -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $199 $275