Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic FZ70

Its time to look closer at the Olympus 550WP versus Panasonic FZ70, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and FZ70 (16MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The 550WP was revealed 5 years prior to the FZ70 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ70 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a short introduction of how the 550WP grades versus the FZ70 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 550WP & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70. The full galleries are available at Olympus 550WP Gallery & Panasonic FZ70 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera regularly, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus 550WP offers external measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ70 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 118mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 4.6") with a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus 550WP versus Panasonic FZ70 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the 550WP versus the FZ70.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and FZ70 is 94 and 63 respectively.

In many cases, it's difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizes simply by looking at a spec sheet. The pic here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the 550WP and FZ70.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic FZ70 to give more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged 550WP is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.