Panasonic SZ8 vs Panasonic ZS50

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic SZ8 and Panasonic ZS50, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras and both of them are built by Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the SZ8 (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) but they use the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SZ8 was introduced 12 months earlier than the ZS50 so they are of a similar age. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the SZ8 grades against the ZS50 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic SZ8 Gallery & Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic SZ8 offers external dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS50 has dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

See the Panasonic SZ8 and Panasonic ZS50 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the SZ8 compared to the ZS50.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ8 and ZS50 is 94 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it is hard to see the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading technical specs. The image underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ8 and ZS50.

As you can tell, each of these cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Panasonic SZ8 to deliver greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged SZ8 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.