Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic LX7
89 Imaging
39 Features
36 Overall
37


86 Imaging
35 Features
61 Overall
45
Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic LX7 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 226g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
- Introduced January 2013
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400 (Expand to 12800)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-90mm (F1.4-2.3) lens
- 298g - 111 x 68 x 46mm
- Launched October 2012
- Succeeded the Panasonic LX5
- Updated by Panasonic LX10

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic LX7 Overview
Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS versus Panasonic LX7, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and LX7 (10MP) and the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and LX7 (1/1.7") come with different sensor dimensions.

The SZ-16 iHS was manufactured 3 months later than the LX7 which means that they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before going in to a full comparison, below is a short view of how the SZ-16 iHS scores versus the LX7 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic LX7 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery and Panasonic LX7 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Panasonic LX7
SZ-16 iHS | LX7 |
---|
Reasons to pick Panasonic LX7 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS
LX7 | SZ-16 iHS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very exact focusing | ||
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+460k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Panasonic LX7
SZ-16 iHS | LX7 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2013 | ![]() | October 2012 | Same generation |
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Missing selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither offers Touch friendly screen |
Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic LX7 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to carry your camera, you need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS offers external measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Panasonic LX7 has specifications of 111mm x 68mm x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8") with a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).
Examine the Olympus SZ-16 iHS versus Panasonic LX7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the SZ-16 iHS against the LX7.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-16 iHS and LX7 is 89 and 86 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic LX7 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it's tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizing merely by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-16 iHS and LX7.
As you can see, the two cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SZ-16 iHS because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Olympus SZ-16 iHS will produce greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic LX7 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic LX7 Specifications
Olympus SZ-16 iHS | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus SZ-16 iHS | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 |
Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Compact |
Introduced | 2013-01-08 | 2012-10-15 |
Body design | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Venus Engine |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/1.7" |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 7.44 x 5.58mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 41.5mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | - | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 3648 x 2736 |
Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 6400 |
Maximum boosted ISO | - | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | - | 23 |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 25-600mm (24.0x) | 24-90mm (3.8x) |
Max aperture | f/3.0-6.9 | f/1.4-2.3 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 1cm |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 4.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dot | 920 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Screen technology | TFT Color LCD | TFT Color LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Electronic (optional) |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 4 secs | 60 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 2.0 frames/s | 11.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | - | 8.50 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 226 grams (0.50 lbs) | 298 grams (0.66 lbs) |
Dimensions | 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") | 111 x 68 x 46mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | 50 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 20.7 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.7 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 147 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 220 images | 330 images |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | LI-50B | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Price at launch | $230 | $400 |