Panasonic SZ7

Panasonic SZ7 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Compact digital camera originally introduced on January of 2012. The camera has got a 14MP, CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a full resolution of 4320 x 3240.

The SZ7 is rated #50 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras & over-all #781 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. Please try our Advanced camera search to find camera results based on your personalized requirements.

Here is a graph of different factors used in the rating system.

The Panasonic SZ7 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can view the complete range underneath.

You can see the SZ7 from different angles in the gallery underneath.

Below is a selection of pluses and minuses of the Panasonic SZ7 based on aspects which are typically regarded as useful in a digital camera.

The sensor spec in the Panasonic SZ7 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the capability to capture 4320 x 3240 pixels at aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera features Image Stabilization (Optical). Sensor stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter can cause cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 14 megapixels and provides a standard ISO range of 100 - 6400. Sadly, RAW files are not saved therefore the user has less margin for error.

The picture underneath illustrates the SZ7's sensor dimensions when compared to other popular sizes. The SZ7 sensor has a crop factor of 5.9 and is highlighted in green.

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To get a sense of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Panasonic SZ7 weighs 0.29 lb (133g / 4.69 ounces) & has outside dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8"). The weight of average Small Sensor Compact camera is 174g so the Panasonic SZ7 is less heavy when compared with other rivals.

Photography Glossary

Here is a shot of the Panasonic SZ7 next to a soda so you're able to get a sense of its scale.

The top view under will provide the button layout on the SZ7.

The SZ7 includes a built in lens providing a focal range of 25-250mm giving it a 10.0 x zoom which isn't exceptional nevertheless it might be very helpful in a few cases.

At the widest 25mm, the lens features an aperture of f3.1 and that's fairly slow and not very good for low light conditions and you might find it hard to get a shallow depth of field. You would also need to boost the ISO producing noisy shots. On the tele end, 250mm is outstanding zoom and comes to f5.9 which is pretty slow and you might need to utilize slower shutter speeds.

The SZ7 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that have NFC and Bluetooth support can easily be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You can transfer files and at times change settings without the hassle of connecting physically to the camera.

A few applications even allow a Liveview and release the shutter whenever you are not near the camera. If the camera includes a HDMI port, it could be attached to an external screen. Almost all cameras enable you to recharge the battery pack using the USB port.

The highest possible video quality in the Panasonic SZ7 is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in MPEG-4 and AVCHD file format. 1080p quality is an excellent balance in video quality and file sizes but 1080p isn't going to leave you with any room to crop. The camera does not offer a microphone and headphone socket which means that you get no control over the audio. It is perhaps a better idea to find a different model should you require better audio for your videos.

There is no environment sealing on the Panasonic SZ7 so you need to be careful in wet or dusty conditions.

The Panasonic SZ7 has got a 3 inch fixed display screen boasting a resolution of 460 thousand dots.

Please note that the display has no touch support.

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The ViewFinder specs for Panasonic SZ7 are the following:

• ViewFinder None

For sunny outdoor conditions which make the camera displays washed out and tricky to see, viewfinders are quite helpful.

Panasonic SZ7 continuous shooting rate is 10.0 frames per second. The highest shutter speed is 1/1600 sec.

Panasonic SZ7 features only inbuilt flash with no external flash support.

Panasonic SZ7 features just Contrast Detect Autofocus & does not have Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is more quicker & precise when compared with Contrast Detect focusing. The camera has got Face detection which is useful for portraits.

It has got 23 focus points to select from. It also has Tracking Autofocus for moving subjects. Panasonic SZ7 does not have manual focus. Manual focus is useful in low light scenarios or you need more accurate control on focus.

The battery life on the Panasonic SZ7 is made to last for 220 clicks as per the CIPA benchmarks which is about average when compared to it's competitors. The average Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 has the best (470) battery life in this type of cameras.

Here is a number of Small Sensor Compact cameras that come with the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X30
SZ7 vs Fujifilm X30470 yesnono

Casio EX-10
SZ7 vs EX-10455 yesnono

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Ricoh GR Digital IV
SZ7 vs GR Digital IV390 yesnono

Canon G12
SZ7 vs G12370 yesnono

Canon G16
SZ7 vs G16360 yesnono

The following diagram gives a summary of the Panasonic SZ7 for different categories of photography. To check out more, have a look at the specific section underneath.

The Panasonic SZ7 receives a score of 33 which is bad, and means the camera is just not very good for portraits. Shooting portraits leans greatly towards sensor dimensions, RAW support plus the option to use off-camera lighting.

With a very good rating of 63, the Panasonic SZ7 is a very decent option to buy for street photography. A very good street photography camera offers a fine balance of picture quality plus portability.

A bad sports photography rating of 43 means the Panasonic SZ7 is just not very good for taking photos of sports. A camera should have good focusing and continuous shooting for sports photography.

Size is super critical when picking a camera for travel. On the whole, the Panasonic SZ7 gets a above average 70 as a travelling camera which is a fine pick to take with you on your travels.

If you find yourself planning to buy a digital camera for landscape photographs, the most significant factor will no doubt be image quality. The Panasonic SZ7 and it's bad score of 42 as a landscape camera is just not very good within the current marketplace.

A camera for vlogging should really come with a moving display screen, microphone port and preferably image stabilization. Considering every thing, the Panasonic SZ7 is just not very good as a vlog camera as it comes to a bad rating of 35.

If you are shopping for replacements to the SZ7, here is a collection of the top ranked cameras that fall under the category of Small Sensor Compact.

The line graph listed below provides you a summary of the SZ7 compared to it's top scored competitors listed earlier.

Here are a few more cameras you may look into as alternatives. To see a full comparison, click the "compare" link.