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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Olympus VG-120 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
39
Overall
37

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 Key Specs

Olympus VG-120
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Launched January 2011
Panasonic ZS8
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 210g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Announced July 2011
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ18
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS7
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 Overview

Following is a extended overview of the Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the VG-120 (14MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is relatively well matched and both cameras have the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The VG-120 was announced 6 months before the ZS8 so they are of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the VG-120 scores against the ZS8 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Panasonic ZS8

 VG-120 ZS8 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS8 over the Olympus VG-120

 ZS8 VG-120 

Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic ZS8

 VG-120 ZS8 
AnnouncedJanuary 2011July 2011Similar generation
Focus manually Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus VG-120 features outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS8 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

See the Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the VG-120 against the ZS8.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-120 and ZS8 is 96 and 92 respectively.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizes just by checking specs. The pic underneath may give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-120 and ZS8.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions and the identical resolution so you should expect similar quality of images but you should consider the production date of the products into consideration.

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Portrait photography details
Panasonic ZS8 Portrait photography details
33
megapixel count good (14MP)
supports face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
30
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Street photography details
Panasonic ZS8 Street photography details
48
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (210g)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Sports photography details
Panasonic ZS8 Sports photography details
26
megapixel count good (14MP)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (160 per charge)
does not have phase detect AF
47
incredible zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
comes with tracking focus
low fps (2.0 fps)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-120 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS8 as a Travel photography camera
62
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (26mm)
no Time Lapse recording
bad battery pack (160 shots)
does not have selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
69
lighter than average (210g)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (24mm)
long zoom (384mm)
lack of Timelapse function
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic ZS8 Landscape photography advice
36
decently wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
megapixel count good (14MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual mode
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
bad battery pack (160 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
44
rather wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-120 Vlogging advice
Panasonic ZS8 Vlogging advice
28
decently wide (26mm)
supports face detection focusing
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic port
30
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (210 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone port
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic ZS8
 Olympus VG-120Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus VG-120 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-TZ18
Category Ultracompact Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2011-01-06 2011-07-19
Body design Ultracompact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) 24-384mm (16.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus range 7cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT Color LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed - 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.40 m 5.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 120 gr (0.26 lb) 210 gr (0.46 lb)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 160 pictures 340 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $190 $275