Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Panasonic LX5

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Panasonic LX5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the SP-800 UZ (14MP) and LX5 (10MP) and the SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") and LX5 (1/1.63") have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SP-800 UZ was announced 22 months earlier than the LX5 which makes them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the SP-800 UZ scores vs the LX5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SP-800 UZ & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. The whole galleries are available at Olympus SP-800 UZ Gallery & Panasonic LX5 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-800 UZ provides exterior measurements of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") along with a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) and the Panasonic LX5 has dimensions of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Panasonic LX5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the SP-800 UZ and the LX5.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-800 UZ and LX5 is 69 and 88 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizing only by seeing specs. The photograph here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-800 UZ and LX5.

All in all, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SP-800 UZ with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Olympus SP-800 UZ will show greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The older SP-800 UZ will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.