Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic LZ20

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic LZ20, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and LZ20 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The 550WP was released 4 years earlier than the LZ20 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Panasonic LZ20 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a short summation of how the 550WP matches up versus the LZ20 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus 550WP & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus 550WP Gallery & Panasonic LZ20 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 550WP provides physical dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Panasonic LZ20 has dimensions of 120mm x 76mm x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") along with a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic LZ20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the 550WP against the LZ20.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 550WP and LZ20 is 94 and 71 respectively.

Typically, it can be tough to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements only by reviewing technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the 550WP and LZ20.

As you have seen, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Panasonic LZ20 to offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures more aggressively. The older 550WP is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.