Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Panasonic GX9

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Panasonic GX9, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the SP-800 UZ (14MP) and GX9 (20MP) and the SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") and GX9 (Four Thirds) boast totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SP-800 UZ was launched 9 years before the GX9 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a short summary of how the SP-800 UZ matches up against the GX9 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SP-800 UZ & Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery & Panasonic GX9 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-800 UZ provides outer measurements of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") with a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) and the Panasonic GX9 has proportions of 124mm x 72mm x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") with a weight of 407 grams (0.90 lbs).

Check the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Panasonic GX9 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the SP-800 UZ and the GX9.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SP-800 UZ and GX9 is 69 and 82 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor measurements just by checking technical specs. The visual here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-800 UZ and GX9.

As you have seen, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SP-800 UZ featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Panasonic GX9 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older SP-800 UZ is going to be behind in sensor technology.