Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic ZS1

Let's look much closer at the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic ZS1, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and ZS1 (1/2.5") boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The SH-2 was announced 5 years after the ZS1 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick summation of how the SH-2 scores vs the ZS1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus SH-2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus SH-2 Gallery & Panasonic ZS1 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-2 comes with external dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS1 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic ZS1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the SH-2 and the ZS1.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the SH-2 and ZS1 is 88 and 91 respectively.

Often, it is tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes just by going through specs. The picture here may provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-2 and ZS1.

As you can plainly see, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SH-2 with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SH-2 will produce greater detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The newer SH-2 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.