Olympus E-M1 II vs Panasonic XS1

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-M1 II and Panasonic XS1, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and XS1 (16MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M1 II was launched 3 years later than the XS1 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-M1 II grades versus the XS1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery and Panasonic XS1 Gallery.

In case you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 II features outer dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) and the Panasonic XS1 has specifications of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") having a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M1 II and Panasonic XS1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-M1 II and the XS1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 II and XS1 is 68 and 97 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements simply by going over a spec sheet. The visual below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 II and XS1.

As you can see, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 II because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M1 II will offer more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 II should have an advantage in sensor technology.