Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic FZ1000

Let's look more closely at the Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic FZ1000, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-10 (14MP) and FZ1000 (20MP) and the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and FZ1000 (1") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-10 was announced 4 years earlier than the FZ1000 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SZ-10 matches up against the FZ1000 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-10 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. The whole galleries are available at Olympus SZ-10 Gallery & Panasonic FZ1000 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-10 features physical measurements of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ1000 has dimensions of 137mm x 99mm x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2") along with a weight of 831 grams (1.83 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic FZ1000 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is a front view size comparison of the SZ-10 versus the FZ1000.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-10 and FZ1000 is 90 and 55 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to visualise the gap in sensor measurements just by checking out technical specs. The photograph underneath should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-10 and FZ1000.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-10 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Panasonic FZ1000 will produce greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The older SZ-10 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.