Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS7

Its time to look closer at the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic FS7, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and FS7 (10MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and FS7 (1/2.5") feature different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SH-2 was manufactured 6 years later than the FS7 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS7 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go through a complete comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SH-2 scores against the FS7 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SH-2 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SH-2 Gallery and Panasonic FS7 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry your camera often, you should factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-2 features outer measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS7 has proportions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 139 grams (0.31 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic FS7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the SH-2 vs the FS7.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the SH-2 and FS7 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizing merely by checking specs. The graphic underneath should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-2 and FS7.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The SH-2 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SH-2 will give more detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The more recent SH-2 provides a benefit in sensor tech.