Olympus SP-100 vs Panasonic LX10

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus SP-100 and Panasonic LX10, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the SP-100 (16MP) and the LX10 (20MP) is fairly close but the SP-100 (1/2.3") and LX10 (1") have different sensor sizes.

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The SP-100 was unveiled 3 years prior to the LX10 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic LX10 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the SP-100 grades versus the LX10 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus SP-100 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10. The full galleries are available at Olympus SP-100 Gallery and Panasonic LX10 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SP-100 has outer measurements of 122mm x 91mm x 133mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 5.2") and a weight of 594 grams (1.31 lbs) and the Panasonic LX10 has specifications of 106mm x 60mm x 42mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.7") having a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SP-100 and Panasonic LX10 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have during that time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the SP-100 compared to the LX10.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SP-100 and LX10 is 63 and 88 respectively.

Quite often, it's hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements purely by viewing specifications. The photograph underneath will provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-100 and LX10.

To sum up, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SP-100 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic LX10 will provide you with greater detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older SP-100 will be behind in sensor tech.