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Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45

Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
26
Overall
33
Olympus VG-160 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
55
Overall
46

Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 Key Specs

Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Released January 2012
Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Revealed January 2015
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Old Model is Panasonic ZS40
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS50
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Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 Overview

Here, we are looking at the Olympus VG-160 versus Panasonic ZS45, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the ZS45 (16MP) is very close and both cameras have the identical sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The VG-160 was revealed 4 years earlier than the ZS45 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a brief overview of how the VG-160 grades versus the ZS45 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Panasonic ZS45

 VG-160 ZS45 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Olympus VG-160

 ZS45 VG-160 
RevealedJanuary 2015January 2012More modern by 36 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k230kCrisper display (+810k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic ZS45

 VG-160 ZS45 
Manual focus Lack of manual focus
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry around your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VG-160 provides physical measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS45 has dimensions of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VG-160 versus Panasonic ZS45 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the VG-160 vs the ZS45.

Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VG-160 and ZS45 is 96 and 91 respectively.

Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizes just by looking through technical specs. The pic underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-160 and ZS45.

As you can tell, both cameras feature the identical sensor size but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Panasonic ZS45 to result in greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images way more aggressively. The more aged VG-160 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 sensor size comparison

Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS45 Portrait photography information
34
good MP (14 megapixels)
provides face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
37
decent megapixels (16MP)
features face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS45 Street photography highlights
56
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
69
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (249g)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Sports photography information
Panasonic ZS45 Sports photography information
27
good MP (14 megapixels)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (165 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
56
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
great battery life (350 CIPA)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS45 Travel photography info
66
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
good MP (14MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (26mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
low battery pack (165 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
71
great battery life (350 shots)
lighter than competitors (249 grams)
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
really wide (24mm)
very long zoom (480mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
does not posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VG-160 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS45 as a Landscape photography camera
37
relatively wide (26mm)
nice screen size (3")
good MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not possible
no image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
low battery pack (165 shots)
does not have Time Lapse function
48
really wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
great battery life (350 per charge)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VG-160 Vlogging factors
Panasonic ZS45 Vlogging factors
30
relatively wide (26mm)
provides face detect autofocus
lighter than competitors (125 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic socket
34
really wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (249g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
missing mic support
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Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic ZS45 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic ZS45
 Olympus VG-160Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus VG-160 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-TZ57
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-01-10 2015-01-06
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 21
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) 24-480mm (20.0x)
Max aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focus range 7cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,040k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate - 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.80 m 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 125 grams (0.28 pounds) 249 grams (0.55 pounds)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 165 shots 350 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-70B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $90 $300