Olympus SZ-11 vs Panasonic ZS100

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus SZ-11 and Panasonic ZS100, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the SZ-11 (14MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and ZS100 (1") possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-11 was launched 5 years before the ZS100 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the SZ-11 scores versus the ZS100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-11 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-11 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-11 has exterior dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS100 has dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-11 and Panasonic ZS100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the SZ-11 versus the ZS100.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-11 and ZS100 is 89 and 87 respectively.

Normally, it's hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes only by reviewing a spec sheet. The image here will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-11 and ZS100.

As you can see, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SZ-11 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Panasonic ZS100 will offer you extra detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SZ-11 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.