Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic S1R

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic S1R, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and S1R (47MP) and the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and S1R (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-31MR iHS was introduced 8 years earlier than the S1R which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic S1R being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the SZ-31MR iHS matches up versus the S1R in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery and Panasonic S1R Gallery.

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS comes with physical dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S1R has proportions of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") with a weight of 1020 grams (2.25 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic S1R in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS compared to the S1R.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-31MR iHS and S1R is 89 and 54 respectively.

Typically, it's tough to see the gap between sensor dimensions only by looking at specifications. The image below will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-31MR iHS and S1R.

To sum up, the two cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-31MR iHS using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic S1R will resolve extra detail using its extra 31 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SZ-31MR iHS is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.