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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II front
Portability
55
Imaging
55
Features
82
Overall
65

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Key Specs

Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Revealed June 2013
Panasonic FZ1000 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-400mm (F2.8-4.0) lens
  • 808g - 136 x 97 x 132mm
  • Announced February 2019
  • Older Model is Panasonic FZ1000
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Overview

Here, we are comparing the Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the FZ1000 II (20MP) is fairly well matched but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and FZ1000 II (1") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-15 was launched 6 years before the FZ1000 II and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the SZ-15 scores versus the FZ1000 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Panasonic FZ1000 II

 SZ-15 FZ1000 II 

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ1000 II over the Olympus SZ-15

 FZ1000 II SZ-15 
AnnouncedFebruary 2019June 2013Fresher by 68 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1240k460kCrisper display (+780k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic FZ1000 II

 SZ-15 FZ1000 II 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display size3"3"Same display sizing

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-15 provides physical dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Panasonic FZ1000 II has dimensions of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") accompanied by a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-15 and the FZ1000 II.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and FZ1000 II is 88 and 55 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor sizing simply by checking technical specs. The graphic here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-15 and FZ1000 II.

As you can tell, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SZ-15 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older SZ-15 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Portrait photography camera
44
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focusing
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
73
you can focus manually
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
offers face detection focus
exports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Street photography information
Panasonic FZ1000 II Street photography information
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (250 grams)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
71
screen articulates
image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
comes with touch focus
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Sports photography camera
53
excellent zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
70
great zoom range (25-400mm 16.0 x zoom)
silent mode (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
offers tracking autofocus
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-15
Travel photography with Panasonic FZ1000 II
68
lighter than competition (250 grams)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (23mm)
great zoom (483mm)
missing Time Lapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
68
connects via bluetooth
comes with touch focus
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (400mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FZ1000 II Landscape photography info
49
focusing manually
reasonably wide (23mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Time Lapse function
66
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FZ1000 II as a Vlogging camera
34
reasonably wide (23mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (250g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
missing external mic support
68
reasonably wide (25mm)
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have external microphone port
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic FZ1000 II
 Olympus SZ-15Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-15 Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2013-06-21 2019-02-18
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 49
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-483mm (21.0x) 25-400mm (16.0x)
Max aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/2.8-4.0
Macro focus distance 5cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 1,240 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.50 m 13.50 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, 1st / 2nd Slow Sync.
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 3840x2160 (30p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p) 1280x720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 250 grams (0.55 lbs) 808 grams (1.78 lbs)
Physical dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 136 x 97 x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 350 photographs
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model SLB-10A DMW-BLC12PP
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported)
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $200 $898