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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7

Portability
89
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-12 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 front
Portability
91
Imaging
35
Features
33
Overall
34

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-12
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Announced January 2012
Panasonic ZS7
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 218g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Introduced July 2011
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ10
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS8
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 Overview

The following is a complete analysis of the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic ZS7, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the ZS7 (12MP) is very similar and they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SZ-12 was announced 6 months after the ZS7 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the SZ-12 grades vs the ZS7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Panasonic ZS7

 SZ-12 ZS7 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS7 over the Olympus SZ-12

 ZS7 SZ-12 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic ZS7

 SZ-12 ZS7 
IntroducedJanuary 2012July 2011Similar generation
Manual focus No manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Display resolution460k460kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-12 enjoys outer dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS7 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic ZS7 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the SZ-12 against the ZS7.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and ZS7 is 89 and 91 respectively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading technical specs. The image underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-12 and ZS7.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Olympus SZ-12 to offer greater detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively.

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS7 as a Portrait photography camera
33
MP count good (14 megapixels)
provides face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
21
focusing manually not possible
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS7 Street photography highlights
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (226 grams)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (218g)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic ZS7 Sports photography highlights
40
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
provides tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery (220 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
27
image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Travel photography details
Panasonic ZS7 Travel photography details
65
lighter than others (226g)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
terrible battery (220 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
63
lighter than competition in class (218g)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long reach (300mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS7 Landscape photography information
40
fairly wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
terrible battery (220 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
38
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-12 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZS7 Vlogging details
31
fairly wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
lighter than others (226 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external microphone port
30
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (218 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic support
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Panasonic ZS7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-12 and Panasonic ZS7
 Olympus SZ-12Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SZ-12 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ10
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-01-10 2011-07-19
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 5.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD Lite
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226g (0.50 lb) 218g (0.48 lb)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 pictures -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $350 $350