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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
47
Overall
42
Olympus SZ-31MR iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
39
Overall
37

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 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
  • Announced February 2012
Panasonic ZS8
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 210g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Revealed July 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ18
  • Old Model is Panasonic ZS7
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 Overview

Following is a extended overview of the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Panasonic ZS8, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is fairly similar and they possess the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-31MR iHS was manufactured 7 months after the ZS8 which means that they are of a similar age. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the SZ-31MR iHS matches up against the ZS8 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-31MR iHS over the Panasonic ZS8

 SZ-31MR iHS ZS8 
RevealedFebruary 2012July 2011More modern by 7 months
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS8 over the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS

 ZS8 SZ-31MR iHS 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic ZS8

 SZ-31MR iHS ZS8 
Focus manually No manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS provides outer measurements 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 ZS8 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS versus Panasonic ZS8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS and the ZS8.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-31MR iHS and ZS8 is 89 and 92 respectively.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading technical specs. The image underneath should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-31MR iHS and ZS8.

As you can tell, both the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can anticipate the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS to deliver more detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more modern SZ-31MR iHS will have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS8 Portrait photography information
34
megapixel count good (16MP)
has face detect autofocus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
30
good MP (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Street photography advice
Panasonic ZS8 Street photography advice
64
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides focus via touch
lighter than competitors (226g)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (210g)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SZ-31MR iHS
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS8
44
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
has tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
terrible battery (200 per charge)
no phase detect autofocus
47
long zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
low frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS8 Travel photography info
67
lighter than competitors (226g)
provides focus via touch
megapixel count good (16MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
missing Timelapse mode
terrible battery (200 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
69
lighter than competitors in class (210g)
good MP (14MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
long reach (384mm)
does not have Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Landscape photography features
Panasonic ZS8 Landscape photography features
41
decently wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16MP)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
terrible battery (200 shots)
missing Timelapse mode
44
quite wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Vlogging advice
Panasonic ZS8 Vlogging advice
35
decently wide (25mm)
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (226g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
missing microphone support
30
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (210g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone support
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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Panasonic ZS8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Panasonic ZS8
 Olympus SZ-31MR iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ18
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-02-08 2011-07-19
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Dual TruePic V Venus Engine FHD
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 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-384mm (16.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech Hypercrystal III TFT Color LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1700 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 9.30 m 5.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure 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), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lbs) 210 gr (0.46 lbs)
Dimensions 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 images 340 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail cost $0 $275