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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1

Portability
89
Imaging
40
Features
36
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
25
Overall
29

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-16 iHS
(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
  • Launched January 2013
Panasonic ZS1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Released May 2009
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ6
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference between the image resolutions of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and ZS1 (1/2.5") use different sensor size.

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The SZ-16 iHS was introduced 3 years later than the ZS1 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the SZ-16 iHS scores against the ZS1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Panasonic ZS1

 SZ-16 iHS ZS1 
ReleasedJanuary 2013May 2009More recent by 45 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS1 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 ZS1 SZ-16 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Panasonic ZS1

 SZ-16 iHS ZS1 
Focus manually Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you will want to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS has outside 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 ZS1 has measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select at that moment. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the SZ-16 iHS against the ZS1.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-16 iHS and ZS1 is 89 and 91 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph below will give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-16 iHS and ZS1.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-16 iHS having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus SZ-16 iHS will offer extra detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The fresher SZ-16 iHS should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS1 Portrait photography information
35
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
provides face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
25
provides face detect autofocus
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Street photography details
Panasonic ZS1 Street photography details
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (229 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sports photography details
Panasonic ZS1 Sports photography details
42
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery life (220 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
24
image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Travel photography details
Panasonic ZS1 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competition (226 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
missing Timelapse function
bad battery life (220 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
63
lighter than others (229 grams)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (300mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS1 as a Landscape photography camera
41
really wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
bad battery life (220 CIPA)
missing Timelapse function
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS1
31
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection autofocus
lighter than competition (226g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone jack
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
lighter than others (229 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 pxls)
doesn't have microphone support
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Panasonic ZS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Panasonic ZS1
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-16 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ6
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2013-01-08 2009-05-14
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.5"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus range - 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 6.3
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226g (0.50 pounds) 229g (0.50 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 photographs -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $230 $0