Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic ZS200

Below is a in-depth review of the Olympus SZ-10 and Panasonic ZS200, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-10 (14MP) and ZS200 (20MP) and the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and ZS200 (1") posses totally different sensor sizing.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The SZ-10 was revealed 8 years before the ZS200 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS200 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the SZ-10 scores vs the ZS200 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-10 & Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-10 Gallery & Panasonic ZS200 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-10 offers physical measurements of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS200 has proportions of 111mm x 66mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 340 grams (0.75 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-10 and Panasonic ZS200 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the SZ-10 compared to the ZS200.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-10 and ZS200 is 90 and 86 respectively.

Oftentimes, its tough to see the difference in sensor measurements only by checking out specifications. The graphic below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-10 and ZS200.

Plainly, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-10 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic ZS200 will provide greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The older SZ-10 will be behind in sensor innovation.