Panasonic ZS7 vs Olympus SP-610UZ Comparison

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Panasonic ZS7

12 MP | 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) CCD Sensor

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Olympus SP-610UZ

14 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

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Panasonic ZS7 vs Olympus SP-610UZ Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing ZS7 and SP-610UZ, two Small Sensor Superzoom cameras from Panasonic and Olympus. Both cameras have 1/2.3-inch sensors but Panasonic ZS7 has a 12.0 MP and Olympus SP-610UZ has a 14.0 MP resolution. Panasonic ZS7 was introduced to market in July 2011 and Olympus SP-610UZ was launched in January 2011. There is only 6 months difference between ZS7 and SP-610UZ so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic ZS7 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-07-19

12MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 6400

25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

2 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

Built-in GPS

218g. 103 x 60 x 33 mm

Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ10

Olympus SP-610UZ Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-01-06

14MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 3200

28-616 mm F3.3-5.7 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

1 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

405g. 107 x 73 x 73 mm

Replaced Olympus SP-600 UZ Compare

Panasonic ZS7 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 (Lumix DMC-TZ10)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 vs Olympus SP-610UZ

Olympus SP-610UZ was replaced by Olympus SP-620 UZ. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Olympus SP-610UZ
Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 (Lumix DMC-TZ10)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 over Olympus SP-610UZ

GPS	BuiltIn vs None	track your location
Max ISO	6.400 vs 3.200	100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting	2.0fps vs 1.0fps	1 fps faster
Weight	218 g vs 405 g	187 g lighter
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Focal Length - Wide	25mm vs 28mm	3 mm wider coverage
Max Aperture - Tele	4.90 vs 5.70	faster lens at tele

Reasons to choose Olympus SP-610UZ over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Max Sensor Resolution	14 MP vs 12 MP	16% more pixels
Focal Length - Tele	616mm vs 300mm	316 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	22� vs 12×	more flexible focal coverage
Flash Coverage	6.3m vs 5.3m	1m longer range

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ

Image Stabilization	Optical vs Sensor-shift	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Focal Length - Tele	300mm vs 616mm	Very good Telezoom

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
External Flash Shoe	No vs No	Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder	None vs None	No eye-level shooting option
RAW Support	No vs No	Lower image quality
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	2.0fps vs 1.0fps	Slow shooting speeds
Manual Focusing	No vs No	No manual focusing modes
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Panasonic ZS7 vs Olympus SP-610UZ: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic ZS7 has external dimensions of 103 x 60 x 33 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.3″) and weighs 218 g (0.48 lb / 7.69 oz) (including batteries). Olympus SP-610UZ has external dimensions of 107 x 73 x 73 mm (4.21 x 2.87 x 2.87″) and weighs 405 g (0.89 lb / 14.29 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ. Panasonic ZS7 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 4mm narrower, 13mm shorter and 40mm thinner than Olympus SP-610UZ.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ.

Top View Comparison image of Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic ZS7 is significantly lighter (187g ) than the Olympus SP-610UZ which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

ZS7

SP-610UZ

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

ZS7

SP-610UZ

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 (Lumix DMC-TZ10) nor Olympus SP-610UZ provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Panasonic ZS7 vs Olympus SP-610UZ: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic ZS7 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Venus Engine HD II processor. On the other hand, Olympus SP-610UZ has a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features TruePic III processor.

Below you can see the ZS7 and SP-610UZ sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ Cameras

Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

Panasonic ZS7 vs Olympus SP-610UZ Lens Specs Comparison

Panasonic ZS7 features a 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 12× zoom lens whereas Olympus SP-610UZ features a 28-616 mm F3.3-5.7 22� zoom lens.

Panasonic ZS7 has 3mm wider coverage than the Olympus SP-610UZ. Both cameras has a max aperture of f3.30 at the wide end. On the tele end, Olympus SP-610UZ has 316mm longer telezoom reach than the Panasonic ZS7. However, with a max aperture of f4.90, Panasonic ZS7 is faster at widest end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

ZS7

SP-610UZ

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

ZS7

SP-610UZ

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

ZS7

SP-610UZ

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

ZS7

SP-610UZ

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic ZS7 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Olympus SP-610UZ for Portrait Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Panasonic ZS7 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Olympus SP-610UZ for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Panasonic ZS7 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus SP-610UZ for Sports Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
Manual Exposure Mode
11 Focus Points
300 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
616 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details

Panasonic ZS7 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus SP-610UZ for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Compact Body
218g
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Compact Body
22.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
405g
Body Thickness 73mm
Read the details

Panasonic ZS7 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus SP-610UZ for Landscape Photography

POOR

Manual Exposure Mode
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Built-in GPS
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS7 vs Olympus SP-610UZ: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic ZS7 and Olympus SP-610UZ scores compare:

Panasonic ZS7

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #229 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #821 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Olympus SP-610UZ

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #310 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #945 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Panasonic ZS7 has a higher Overall Score than the Olympus SP-610UZ and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic ZS7 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7	Olympus SP-610UZ
Brand	Panasonic	Olympus
Announced	2011-07-19	2011-01-06
Body Type	Compact	Compact
Sensor
Type	CCD	CCD
Size	1/2.3-inch	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	6.08 x 4.56 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	27.72mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	14 megapixels
Max Resolution	4000 x 3000	4288 x 3216
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	11	11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	25-300 mm (12×)	28-616 mm (22�)
Max Aperture	F3.3-4.9	F3.3-5.7
Macro Focus Range	3cm	1cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	460k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.30 m	6.30 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps	1.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720	1280 x 720
Video Formats	AVCHD Lite	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	218g	405g
Dimensions	103 x 60 x 33mm	107 x 73 x 73mm
Battery Life	n/a	340 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Built-in	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction