Canon 1D MII N vs Panasonic ZS1

Here is a extended analysis of the Canon 1D MII N vs Panasonic ZS1, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Canon and Panasonic. The resolution of the 1D MII N (8MP) and the ZS1 (10MP) is relatively comparable but the 1D MII N (APS-H) and ZS1 (1/2.5") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The 1D MII N was brought out 4 years prior to the ZS1 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Canon 1D MII N being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a complete comparison, here is a short introduction of how the 1D MII N matches up versus the ZS1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon EOS-1D Mark II N and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1. The entire galleries are viewable at Canon 1D MII N Gallery and Panasonic ZS1 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Canon 1D MII N comes with physical dimensions of 156mm x 158mm x 80mm (6.1" x 6.2" x 3.1") having a weight of 1565 grams (3.45 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS1 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Canon 1D MII N vs Panasonic ZS1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the 1D MII N compared to the ZS1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 1D MII N and ZS1 is 50 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through specs. The graphic below should give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the 1D MII N and ZS1.

All in all, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The 1D MII N because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS1 will produce greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The older 1D MII N will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.