Olympus SZ-15 vs Panasonic FZ80

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic FZ80, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the FZ80 (18MP) is very similar and both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SZ-15 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the FZ80 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the SZ-15 matches up versus the FZ80 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery and Panasonic FZ80 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-15 features external dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ80 has proportions of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-15 and Panasonic FZ80 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the SZ-15 and the FZ80.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and FZ80 is 88 and 63 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes only by going over technical specs. The picture below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-15 and FZ80.

As you have seen, both of the cameras come with the identical sensor size but different resolution. You should expect to see the Panasonic FZ80 to offer greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged SZ-15 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.