Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS35

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic ZS35, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the ZS35 (16MP) is fairly well matched and both cameras boast the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SZ-12 was manufactured 24 months before the ZS35 making them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the SZ-12 scores against the ZS35 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-12 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS35. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Panasonic ZS35 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-12 provides outside dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS35 has sizing of 107mm x 62mm x 32mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 305 grams (0.67 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic ZS35 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-12 compared to the ZS35.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and ZS35 is 89 and 89 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements just by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-12 and ZS35.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You can anticipate the Panasonic ZS35 to resolve more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics more aggressively. The older SZ-12 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.