Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Panasonic ZS200

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Panasonic ZS200, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the SP-800 UZ (14MP) and ZS200 (20MP) and the SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") and ZS200 (1") come with different sensor measurements.

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The SP-800 UZ was manufactured 9 years earlier than the ZS200 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SP-800 UZ being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS200 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the SP-800 UZ grades versus the ZS200 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SP-800 UZ & Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery & Panasonic ZS200 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus SP-800 UZ offers outer dimensions of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") and a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS200 has measurements of 111mm x 66mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 340 grams (0.75 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Panasonic ZS200 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the SP-800 UZ and the ZS200.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-800 UZ and ZS200 is 69 and 86 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to picture the gap between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The photograph here may provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SP-800 UZ and ZS200.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SP-800 UZ featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Panasonic ZS200 will give you more detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics much more aggressively. The older SP-800 UZ is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.