Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic FZ80

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Panasonic FZ80, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the FZ80 (18MP) is very well matched and they enjoy the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SZ-16 iHS was introduced 5 years prior to the FZ80 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the SZ-16 iHS grades vs the FZ80 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-16 iHS & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery & Panasonic FZ80 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS has outside dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ80 has dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") along with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Panasonic FZ80 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the SZ-16 iHS versus the FZ80.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-16 iHS and FZ80 is 89 and 63 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading through specifications. The visual below may give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-16 iHS and FZ80.

Plainly, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Panasonic FZ80 to give more detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The older SZ-16 iHS is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.