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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
  • Launched February 2012
Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 Overview

On this page, we are reviewing the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Panasonic FS15, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and FS15 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was unveiled 3 years after the FS15 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SZ-31MR iHS scores vs the FS15 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Panasonic FS15

 SZ-31MR iHS FS15 
IntroducedFebruary 2012January 2009Newer by 38 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 FS15 SZ-31MR iHS 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic FS15

 SZ-31MR iHS FS15 
Manually focus Lack of manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS enjoys physical dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Panasonic FS15 has specifications of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Panasonic FS15 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS versus the FS15.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-31MR iHS and FS15 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very difficult to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions merely by checking out specifications. The image underneath will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-31MR iHS and FS15.

To sum up, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS to produce more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics more aggressively. The fresher SZ-31MR iHS will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FS15 Portrait photography highlights
34
good MP (16MP)
provides face detection focus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
20
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography details
Panasonic FS15 Street photography details
64
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers touch to focus
lighter than competitors (226 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography highlights
Panasonic FS15 Sports photography highlights
44
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (200 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
25
image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography information
Panasonic FS15 Travel photography information
67
lighter than competitors (226 grams)
offers touch to focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
no Timelapse recording
not so great battery power (200 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
51
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Landscape photography with Panasonic FS15
41
quite wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
not so great battery power (200 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
27
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7")
lack of manual mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging details
Panasonic FS15 Vlogging details
35
quite wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (226 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone socket
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (29mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
missing microphone jack
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic FS15
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Launched 2012-02-08 2009-01-16
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Dual TruePic V -
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 surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW photos
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 - 11
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 29-145mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/1700s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 9.30 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226g (0.50 pounds) 136g (0.30 pounds)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 200 shots -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $0 $180