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Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8

Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 front
Portability
94
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs

Olympus 550WP
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
  • Alternate Name is mju 550WP
Panasonic SZ8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
  • 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
  • Launched January 2014
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Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview

Below, we will be analyzing the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic SZ8, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and SZ8 (16MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The 550WP was revealed 6 years prior to the SZ8 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the 550WP matches up vs the SZ8 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Panasonic SZ8

 550WP SZ8 

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus 550WP

 SZ8 550WP 
LaunchedJanuary 2014January 2009More recent by 60 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic SZ8

 550WP SZ8 
Manual focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus 550WP comes with outer dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ8 has specifications of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Examine the Olympus 550WP and Panasonic SZ8 in the latest Camera and 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 utilising during that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the 550WP versus the SZ8.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the 550WP and SZ8 is 94 and 94 respectively.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to picture the difference in sensor measurements only by researching specs. The photograph underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the 550WP and SZ8.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Panasonic SZ8 to result in more detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older 550WP will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 sensor size comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus 550WP
Portrait photography with Panasonic SZ8
19
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
no external flash support
low resolution (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
35
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has face detection focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus 550WP Street photography highlights
Panasonic SZ8 Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (159 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus 550WP as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic SZ8 as a Sports photography camera
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
max shutter speed is low (1/1,000s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
34
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
max fps very slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
terrible battery (200 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 550WP Travel photography info
Panasonic SZ8 Travel photography info
55
weather sealing
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low resolution (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
67
lighter than others in class (159 grams)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (24mm)
very long reach (288mm)
lack of Timelapse function
terrible battery (200 CIPA)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus 550WP Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic SZ8 Landscape photography highlights
30
has image stabilization (Digital)
weather sealing
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.5 inch)
no manual control
low resolution (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
42
rather wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
terrible battery (200 shots)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus 550WP
Vlogging with Panasonic SZ8
25
has image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not good (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
doesn't have mic support
32
rather wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
lighter than others in class (159 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone jack
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Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 550WP and Panasonic SZ8
 Olympus Stylus 550WPPanasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus 550WP Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
Also referred to as mju 550WP -
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2009-01-07 2014-01-06
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 1600
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 64 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 38-114mm (3.0x) 24-288mm (12.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.0 f/3.1-6.3
Macro focusing range 7cm -
Crop factor 5.9 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 8 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 5.20 m
Flash options Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 167 grams (0.37 lbs) 159 grams (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 shots
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $399 $275