Olympus SZ-10 vs Panasonic FZ2500

Following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus SZ-10 versus Panasonic FZ2500, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the SZ-10 (14MP) and FZ2500 (20MP) and the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and FZ2500 (1") use different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-10 was brought out 6 years prior to the FZ2500 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ2500 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief summation of how the SZ-10 scores vs the FZ2500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-10 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-10 Gallery and Panasonic FZ2500 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-10 provides outside dimensions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ2500 has dimensions of 138mm x 102mm x 135mm (5.4" x 4.0" x 5.3") having a weight of 915 grams (2.02 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-10 versus Panasonic FZ2500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-10 against the FZ2500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-10 and FZ2500 is 90 and 53 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes purely by going over technical specs. The picture here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-10 and FZ2500.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SZ-10 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic FZ2500 will offer greater detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SZ-10 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.