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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
55
Overall
46

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 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 ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Introduced January 2015
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic ZS40
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS50
Photography Glossary

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Panasonic ZS45, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the ZS45 (16MP) is pretty close and both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was announced 3 years earlier than the ZS45 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the SZ-31MR iHS scores against the ZS45 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Panasonic ZS45

 SZ-31MR iHS ZS45 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 ZS45 SZ-31MR iHS 
IntroducedJanuary 2015February 2012More recent by 35 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1040k920kSharper screen (+120k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic ZS45

 SZ-31MR iHS ZS45 
Manual focus No manual focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS has got outside dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS45 has specifications of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Panasonic ZS45 in our newest Camera & 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 during that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS against the ZS45.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-31MR iHS and ZS45 is 89 and 91 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to picture the gap in sensor measurements just by viewing a spec sheet. The visual here will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-31MR iHS and ZS45.

Clearly, both of the cameras feature the identical sensor size and the identical resolution so you can expect comparable quality of photos but you may want to consider the launch date of the cameras into account. The older SZ-31MR iHS will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic ZS45 Portrait photography highlights
34
good resolution (16 megapixels)
provides face detect autofocus
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
37
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
provides face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography advice
Panasonic ZS45 Street photography advice
64
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports touch to focus
lighter than others (226g)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
69
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (249g)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Sports photography highlights
Panasonic ZS45 Sports photography highlights
44
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery pack (200 CIPA)
lack of phase detect autofocus
55
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (350 shots)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography advice
Panasonic ZS45 Travel photography advice
67
lighter than others (226g)
supports touch to focus
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery pack (200 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
71
better than average battery power (350 CIPA)
lighter than average (249g)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
really wide (24mm)
long zoom (480mm)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Landscape photography camera
41
fairly wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual exposure
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
low battery pack (200 shots)
lack of Time Lapse recording
47
really wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
better than average battery power (350 shots)
focusing manually not possible
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS45
35
fairly wide (25mm)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others (226 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of mic jack
34
really wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (249 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no external mic jack
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic ZS45
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ57
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-02-08 2015-01-06
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Dual TruePic V -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
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 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 21
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus distance 1cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 920k dot 1,040k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.30 m 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
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) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
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 226 grams (0.50 lb) 249 grams (0.55 lb)
Physical dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
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 photographs 350 photographs
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
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at launch $0 $300