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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30 front
Portability
66
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 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 LZ30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-875mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 552g - 124 x 84 x 92mm
  • Revealed January 2013
  • Succeeded the Panasonic LZ20
  • Successor is Panasonic LZ40
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 Overview

Its time to examine more closely at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the LZ30 (16MP) is relatively well matched and they possess the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was brought out 11 months earlier than the LZ30 so they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic LZ30 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the SZ-31MR iHS scores versus the LZ30 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Panasonic LZ30

 SZ-31MR iHS LZ30 
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ30 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 LZ30 SZ-31MR iHS 
RevealedJanuary 2013February 2012More modern by 11 months

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic LZ30

 SZ-31MR iHS LZ30 
Focus manually No manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has outside 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 LZ30 has specifications of 124mm x 84mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") having a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS versus the LZ30.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-31MR iHS and LZ30 is 89 and 66 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizes merely by looking at a spec sheet. The image here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-31MR iHS and LZ30.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the identical resolution so you can expect similar quality of photos however you might want to consider the age of the products into consideration. The more aged SZ-31MR iHS is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic LZ30 Portrait photography highlights
34
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
offers face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
31
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography information
Panasonic LZ30 Street photography information
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts focus by touch
lighter than competitors (226g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
43
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
heavier than others in class (552 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography factors
Panasonic LZ30 Sports photography factors
44
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery power (200 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
47
great zoom range (25-875mm 35.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
better than average battery (380 shots)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography info
Panasonic LZ30 Travel photography info
67
lighter than competitors (226g)
boasts focus by touch
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery power (200 CIPA)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
56
better than average battery (380 shots)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (875mm)
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than others in class (552 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography info
Panasonic LZ30 Landscape photography info
41
quite wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
bad battery power (200 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
44
reasonably wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
better than average battery (380 per charge)
focusing manually not possible
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Vlogging with Panasonic LZ30
35
quite wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors (226 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
does not have external microphone socket
22
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic support
heavier than others in class (552 grams)
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic LZ30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic LZ30
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2012-02-08 2013-01-07
Physical type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Dual TruePic V -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
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
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-875mm (35.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.0-5.9
Macro focus range 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 920 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 15s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1700s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 7.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.30 m 4.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226g (0.50 pounds) 552g (1.22 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 124 x 84 x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6")
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 photos 380 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack AA
Battery model LI-50B 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 0r 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $0 $230