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Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8

Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34
Olympus Stylus 7040 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 front
Portability
94
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36

Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs

Olympus 7040
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-196mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 144g - 95 x 56 x 26mm
  • Launched January 2010
  • Also Known as mju 7040
Panasonic SZ8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Bump to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
  • 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
  • Released January 2014
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Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus 7040 versus Panasonic SZ8, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the 7040 (14MP) and the SZ8 (16MP) is relatively similar and both cameras posses the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The 7040 was revealed 5 years before the SZ8 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise overview of how the 7040 grades against the SZ8 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 7040 over the Panasonic SZ8

 7040 SZ8 

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus 7040

 SZ8 7040 
ReleasedJanuary 2014January 2010Newer by 48 months
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus 7040 and Panasonic SZ8

 7040 SZ8 
Focus manually Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus 7040 has physical measurements of 95mm x 56mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 144 grams (0.32 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ8 has measurements of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus 7040 versus Panasonic SZ8 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that moment. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the 7040 and the SZ8.

Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 7040 and SZ8 is 95 and 94 respectively.

Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading a spec sheet. The image below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the 7040 and SZ8.

Clearly, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Panasonic SZ8 to offer more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged 7040 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 sensor size comparison

Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 7040 Portrait photography info
Panasonic SZ8 Portrait photography info
28
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
35
good megapixels (16MP)
offers face detection focusing
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus 7040 Street photography advice
Panasonic SZ8 Street photography advice
57
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (159 grams)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus 7040
Sports photography with Panasonic SZ8
39
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
includes tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
34
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (200 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 7040 Travel photography advice
Panasonic SZ8 Travel photography advice
65
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
67
lighter than competition (159 grams)
good megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
long reach (288mm)
missing Timelapse recording
not so great battery pack (200 shots)
does not contain selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus 7040
Landscape photography with Panasonic SZ8
42
reasonably wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
42
fairly wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual mode not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
not so great battery pack (200 CIPA)
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 7040 Vlogging features
Panasonic SZ8 Vlogging features
29
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
32
fairly wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
lighter than competition (159g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone port
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Olympus 7040 vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 7040 and Panasonic SZ8
 Olympus Stylus 7040Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus 7040 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
Also called as mju 7040 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2010-01-07 2014-01-06
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III 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 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 1600
Max enhanced ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-196mm (7.0x) 24-288mm (12.0x)
Max aperture f/3.0-5.9 f/3.1-6.3
Macro focusing range 2cm -
Crop factor 5.9 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 8 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.70 m 5.20 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 144 grams (0.32 pounds) 159 grams (0.35 pounds)
Physical dimensions 95 x 56 x 26mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
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 pictures
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SC/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $299 $275