Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic FH20

Below is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic FH20, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the FH20 (14MP) is pretty similar and both cameras posses the identical sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SZ-16 iHS was manufactured 3 years later than the FH20 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the SZ-16 iHS matches up vs the FH20 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-16 iHS & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery & Panasonic FH20 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS has outer measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Panasonic FH20 has dimensions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") and a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic FH20 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-16 iHS vs the FH20.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-16 iHS and FH20 is 89 and 93 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to imagine the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading a spec sheet. The graphic here will offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-16 iHS and FH20.

As you can see, both of the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different resolution. You can expect the Olympus SZ-16 iHS to offer you more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more recent SZ-16 iHS provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.