Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic FZ80

Here, we are contrasting the Olympus SZ-12 versus Panasonic FZ80, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and FZ80 (18MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was launched 6 years before the FZ80 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short introduction of how the SZ-12 grades vs the FZ80 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery and Panasonic FZ80 Gallery.

If you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-12 has outer measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ80 has measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-12 versus Panasonic FZ80 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-12 and the FZ80.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and FZ80 is 89 and 63 respectively.

Often, its difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizing purely by going over technical specs. The graphic here should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-12 and FZ80.

As you have seen, each of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but different MP. You should expect to see the Panasonic FZ80 to deliver more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older SZ-12 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.