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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 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
  • Released June 2013
Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Bump to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Released January 2009
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic FS15, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and FS15 (12MP) but they possess the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SZ-15 was announced 4 years after the FS15 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise summary of how the SZ-15 matches up versus the FS15 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Panasonic FS15

 SZ-15 FS15 
ReleasedJune 2013January 2009Newer by 54 months
Manual focus Very precise focus
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Olympus SZ-15

 FS15 SZ-15 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic FS15

 SZ-15 FS15 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SZ-15 features physical dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS15 has sizing of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic FS15 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-15 vs the FS15.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and FS15 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions purely by looking through specifications. The pic underneath will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-15 and FS15.

To sum up, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You can count on the Olympus SZ-15 to render greater detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The younger SZ-15 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Portrait photography info
Panasonic FS15 Portrait photography info
44
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has face detection focus
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
20
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Street photography camera
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (250 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Sports photography camera
53
excellent zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography features
Panasonic FS15 Travel photography features
68
lighter than competitors (250 grams)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (23mm)
great reach (483mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
51
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic FS15 Landscape photography highlights
49
focusing manually
rather wide (23mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
does not have Time Lapse mode
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual mode not available
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Vlogging camera
34
rather wide (23mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (250g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have external mic support
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of external mic port
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic FS15
 Olympus SZ-15Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-15 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Released 2013-06-21 2009-01-16
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
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 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 1600
Max enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-483mm (21.0x) 29-145mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.50 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 250 gr (0.55 lbs) 136 gr (0.30 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 model SLB-10A -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $200 $180