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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 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
  • Launched February 2012
Panasonic FX48
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 150g - 95 x 53 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-FX40
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 Overview

Below is a extended review of the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic FX48, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and FX48 (12MP) but they possess the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was released 3 years later than the FX48 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a short overview of how the SZ-31MR iHS grades vs the FX48 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Panasonic FX48

 SZ-31MR iHS FX48 
LaunchedFebruary 2012January 2009More recent by 37 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX48 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 FX48 SZ-31MR iHS 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic FX48

 SZ-31MR iHS FX48 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to lug around your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS enjoys external measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FX48 has proportions of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic FX48 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS compared to the FX48.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-31MR iHS and FX48 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very tough to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by checking a spec sheet. The photograph below may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-31MR iHS and FX48.

Clearly, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS to give extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively. The younger SZ-31MR iHS will have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Portrait photography with Panasonic FX48
34
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has face detection focusing
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
27
comes with face detection focus
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography advice
Panasonic FX48 Street photography advice
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features touch to focus
lighter than competition in class (226g)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
57
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Sports photography with Panasonic FX48
44
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery life (200 shots)
has no phase detect AF
25
image stabilization (Optical)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography info
Panasonic FX48 Travel photography info
67
lighter than competition in class (226g)
features touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long reach (600mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
bad battery life (200 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
58
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography features
Panasonic FX48 Landscape photography features
41
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
bad battery life (200 per charge)
does not have Timelapse recording
33
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.5")
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging info
Panasonic FX48 Vlogging info
35
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (226g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone socket
31
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have external mic jack
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic FX48 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic FX48
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
Also called - Lumix DMC-FX40
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-02-08 2009-01-27
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Dual TruePic V -
Sensor type BSI-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 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-125mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 920k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/3000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.30 m 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported 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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic 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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 gr (0.50 pounds) 150 gr (0.33 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 95 x 53 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $0 $325