Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic XS1

Below is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic XS1, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-600 (12MP) and XS1 (16MP) and the E-600 (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-600 was revealed 4 years prior to the XS1 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-600 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-600 grades versus the XS1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-600 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-600 Gallery and Panasonic XS1 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-600 enjoys exterior measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") and a weight of 515 grams (1.14 lbs) while the Panasonic XS1 has proportions of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") accompanied by a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-600 vs Panasonic XS1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-600 vs the XS1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-600 and XS1 is 71 and 97 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading through technical specs. The photograph here will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-600 and XS1.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-600 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic XS1 will resolve more detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older E-600 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.