Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic ZS100

Here is a extensive assessment of the Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic ZS100, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-30MR (16MP) and the ZS100 (20MP) is fairly close but the SZ-30MR (1/2.3") and ZS100 (1") feature different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-30MR was unveiled 5 years before the ZS100 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-30MR being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving in to a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SZ-30MR matches up against the ZS100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-30MR & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The full galleries are available at Olympus SZ-30MR Gallery & Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-30MR comes with 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) whilst the Panasonic ZS100 has measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-30MR vs Panasonic ZS100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the SZ-30MR and the ZS100.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-30MR and ZS100 is 89 and 87 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizing just by viewing technical specs. The graphic here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-30MR and ZS100.

As you can tell, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The SZ-30MR using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic ZS100 will render greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The older SZ-30MR will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.