Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic SZ7

Let's look closer at the Panasonic FZ80 versus Panasonic SZ7, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are created by Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the FZ80 (18MP) and SZ7 (14MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The FZ80 was introduced 5 years later than the SZ7 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise summation of how the FZ80 grades versus the SZ7 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ80 Gallery & Panasonic SZ7 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FZ80 has external dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ7 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FZ80 versus Panasonic SZ7 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the FZ80 against the SZ7.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FZ80 and SZ7 is 63 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizing simply by checking out specs. The visual here should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FZ80 and SZ7.

All in all, the two cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Panasonic FZ80 to produce greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The newer FZ80 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.