Olympus 8000 vs Panasonic ZS200

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus 8000 and Panasonic ZS200, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the 8000 (12MP) and ZS200 (20MP) and the 8000 (1/2.3") and ZS200 (1") posses different sensor sizing.

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The 8000 was revealed 9 years earlier than the ZS200 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 8000 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS200 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving right into a in depth comparison, here is a simple summary of how the 8000 matches up versus the ZS200 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 and Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200. The full galleries are available at Olympus 8000 Gallery and Panasonic ZS200 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus 8000 has outside measurements of 95mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 182 grams (0.40 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS200 has sizing of 111mm x 66mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.8") and a weight of 340 grams (0.75 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus 8000 and Panasonic ZS200 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the 8000 compared to the ZS200.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 8000 and ZS200 is 94 and 86 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing simply by checking technical specs. The visual below may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the 8000 and ZS200.

As you can tell, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The 8000 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Panasonic ZS200 will give extra detail because of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older 8000 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.