Olympus SP-820UZ vs Panasonic G85

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus SP-820UZ vs Panasonic G85, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the SP-820UZ (14MP) and the G85 (16MP) is relatively well matched but the SP-820UZ (1/2.3") and G85 (Four Thirds) boast totally different sensor size.

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The SP-820UZ was introduced 5 years prior to the G85 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera and the Panasonic G85 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the SP-820UZ matches up versus the G85 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ & Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85. The whole galleries are available at Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery & Panasonic G85 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-820UZ provides outer dimensions of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") with a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G85 has proportions of 128mm x 89mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 2.9") with a weight of 505 grams (1.11 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SP-820UZ vs Panasonic G85 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the SP-820UZ compared to the G85.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SP-820UZ and G85 is 69 and 69 respectively.

More often than not, it can be hard to see the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading through specs. The photograph below will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SP-820UZ and G85.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SP-820UZ using its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Panasonic G85 will resolve more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures way more aggressively. The older SP-820UZ is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.