Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic GX7

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Panasonic GX7, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the GX7 (16MP) is fairly well matched but the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and GX7 (Four Thirds) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-16 iHS was brought out 10 months before the GX7 which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short introduction of how the SZ-16 iHS grades vs the GX7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-16 iHS & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery & Panasonic GX7 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS offers outer measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Panasonic GX7 has measurements of 123mm x 71mm x 55mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 2.2") along with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Panasonic GX7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the SZ-16 iHS compared to the GX7.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-16 iHS and GX7 is 89 and 81 respectively.

Normally, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading through a spec sheet. The image underneath should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-16 iHS and GX7.

As you can see, each of the cameras offer the same exact megapixels but not the same sensor sizes. The SZ-16 iHS uses the tinier sensor which should make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult. The more aged SZ-16 iHS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.