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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8

Portability
89
Imaging
38
Features
39
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-30MR front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 front
Portability
94
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-30MR
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Launched March 2011
Panasonic SZ8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
  • 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
  • Released January 2014
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview

Let's look a little more in depth at the Olympus SZ-30MR versus Panasonic SZ8, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the SZ-30MR (16MP) and the SZ8 (16MP) is fairly close and both cameras have the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SZ-30MR was unveiled 3 years prior to the SZ8 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a short view of how the SZ-30MR scores versus the SZ8 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-30MR over the Panasonic SZ8

 SZ-30MR SZ8 

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus SZ-30MR

 SZ8 SZ-30MR 
ReleasedJanuary 2014March 2011More recent by 34 months

Common features in the Olympus SZ-30MR and Panasonic SZ8

 SZ-30MR SZ8 
Manual focus No manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Display resolution460k460kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-30MR enjoys outer dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ8 has proportions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-30MR versus Panasonic SZ8 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the SZ-30MR versus the SZ8.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-30MR and SZ8 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to imagine the difference in sensor measurements just by researching a spec sheet. The visual underneath should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-30MR and SZ8.

As you can see, both of those cameras provide the same sensor dimensions and the same megapixels therefore you can expect comparable quality of pictures although you really should take the age of the cameras into account. The older SZ-30MR will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-30MR
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ8
34
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
provides face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
35
MP count good (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR as a Street photography camera
Panasonic SZ8 as a Street photography camera
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others (226g)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (159g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-30MR
Sports photography with Panasonic SZ8
41
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (220 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
34
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (200 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Travel photography advice
Panasonic SZ8 Travel photography advice
65
lighter than others (226g)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
no Time Lapse recording
terrible battery life (220 CIPA)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
67
lighter than others (159g)
MP count good (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
long reach (288mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (200 CIPA)
does not have selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Landscape photography advice
Panasonic SZ8 Landscape photography advice
40
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
terrible battery life (220 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
42
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not available
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
terrible battery pack (200 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR Vlogging advice
Panasonic SZ8 Vlogging advice
34
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others (226g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
no external mic port
32
fairly wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focusing
lighter than others (159g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not have selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-30MR and Panasonic SZ8
 Olympus SZ-30MRPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SZ-30MR Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2011-03-02 2014-01-06
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 1600
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-288mm (12.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.1-6.3
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 8s
Max shutter speed 1/1700s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 5.20 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps)1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
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 lb) 159 grams (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 photos 200 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $279 $275