Olympus 1s vs Panasonic SZ1

Below, we will be matching up the Olympus 1s and Panasonic SZ1, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the 1s (12MP) and SZ1 (16MP) and the 1s (1/1.7") and SZ1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

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The 1s was introduced 3 years after the SZ1 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus 1s being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the 1s scores versus the SZ1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus 1s and Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus 1s Gallery and Panasonic SZ1 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry around your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus 1s has external measurements of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") having a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ1 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 1s and Panasonic SZ1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the 1s against the SZ1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 1s and SZ1 is 79 and 95 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes merely by going through specs. The picture underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the 1s and SZ1.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The 1s having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ1 will show more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The younger 1s provides an edge in sensor innovation.