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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25 front
Portability
93
Imaging
40
Features
43
Overall
41

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 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 ZS25
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 193g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2013
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ35
  • Previous Model is Panasonic ZS20
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS30
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the ZS25 (16MP) is pretty comparable and both cameras have the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was launched 11 months before the ZS25 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the SZ-31MR iHS grades vs the ZS25 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Panasonic ZS25

 SZ-31MR iHS ZS25 
Screen resolution920k460kCrisper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS25 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 ZS25 SZ-31MR iHS 
IntroducedJanuary 2013February 2012Newer by 11 months

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic ZS25

 SZ-31MR iHS ZS25 
Focus manually Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS comes with physical dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS25 has measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS against the ZS25.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-31MR iHS and ZS25 is 89 and 93 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very difficult to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by checking out specs. The image underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-31MR iHS and ZS25.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions and the identical MP therefore you should expect comparable quality of photos though you will need to factor the release date of the cameras into account. The more aged SZ-31MR iHS will be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS25
34
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focus
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
32
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS25 Street photography highlights
64
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports touch to focus
lighter than others (226 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
66
image stabilization (Optical)
provides focus by touch
lighter than competition (193 grams)
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic ZS25 as a Sports photography camera
44
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
bad battery life (200 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
45
amazing zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has tracking focus
low max shutter speed (1/1,200s)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (260 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS25
67
lighter than others (226 grams)
supports touch to focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (200 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
69
lighter than competition (193 grams)
provides focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (24mm)
great zoom (480mm)
does not have Timelapse function
terrible battery power (260 CIPA)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography features
Panasonic ZS25 Landscape photography features
41
really wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
bad battery life (200 per charge)
missing Time Lapse mode
43
rather wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
terrible battery power (260 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging features
Panasonic ZS25 Vlogging features
35
really wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others (226 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic support
34
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (193g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have microphone support
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS25 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic ZS25
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ35
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2012-02-08 2013-01-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Dual TruePic V -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
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 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 23
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus distance 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 15 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1700 secs 1/1200 secs
Continuous shooting rate 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 9.30 m 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 193 gr (0.43 lbs)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
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 260 pictures
Battery style 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 feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $0 $300