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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Announced February 2012
Panasonic FH7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 19mm
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FS22
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Panasonic FH7, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the FH7 (16MP) is fairly comparable and both cameras offer the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was released 6 months later than the FH7 so they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise view of how the SZ-31MR iHS grades vs the FH7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Panasonic FH7

 SZ-31MR iHS FH7 
Display resolution920k230kSharper display (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH7 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 FH7 SZ-31MR iHS 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic FH7

 SZ-31MR iHS FH7 
IntroducedFebruary 2012September 2011Same age
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has external measurements 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 FH7 has specifications of 95mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Panasonic FH7 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS and the FH7.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-31MR iHS and FH7 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor measurements simply by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-31MR iHS and FH7.

Clearly, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the exact same resolution so you can expect comparable quality of images though you would want to take the age of the cameras into account.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography features
Panasonic FH7 Portrait photography features
34
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
comes with face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
34
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
provides face detect focusing
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Street photography with Panasonic FH7
64
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers touch focus
lighter than competitors in class (226g)
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
67
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus by touch
lighter than competitors in class (126 grams)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography details
Panasonic FH7 Sports photography details
44
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
bad battery power (200 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
max fps very slow (4.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography info
Panasonic FH7 Travel photography info
67
lighter than competitors in class (226g)
offers touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
no Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (200 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
71
lighter than competitors in class (126 grams)
comes with focus by touch
MP count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
no Timelapse mode
does not contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography information
Panasonic FH7 Landscape photography information
41
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
no manual control
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
bad battery power (200 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
43
reasonably wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging advice
Panasonic FH7 Vlogging advice
35
rather wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (226 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
no external mic port
34
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
lighter than competitors in class (126g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone jack
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FH7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic FH7
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-FH7
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7
Alternative name - Lumix DMC-FS22
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2012-02-08 2011-09-07
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Dual TruePic V Venus Engine IV
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.1-6.5
Macro focus range 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 920k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.30 m 3.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226g (0.50 lbs) 126g (0.28 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 95 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 200 photos 260 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $0 $149