Nikon 1 S1 vs Panasonic ZS25

Below is a extended review of the Nikon 1 S1 vs Panasonic ZS25, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Nikon and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the 1 S1 (10MP) and ZS25 (16MP) and the 1 S1 (1") and ZS25 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The 1 S1 was unveiled 6 months later than the ZS25 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Nikon 1 S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS25 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the 1 S1 matches up versus the ZS25 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Nikon 1 S1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS25. The full galleries are available at Nikon 1 S1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS25 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Nikon 1 S1 offers exterior measurements of 102mm x 61mm x 30mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 197 grams (0.43 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS25 has dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

See the Nikon 1 S1 vs Panasonic ZS25 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the 1 S1 against the ZS25.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 1 S1 and ZS25 is 92 and 93 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing technical specs. The graphic here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the 1 S1 and ZS25.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 1 S1 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS25 will offer more detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively.