Olympus XZ-10 vs Panasonic GX7

Below, we are evaluating the Olympus XZ-10 versus Panasonic GX7, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the XZ-10 (12MP) and GX7 (16MP) and the XZ-10 (1/2.3") and GX7 (Four Thirds) use different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-10 was manufactured 9 months earlier than the GX7 so they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the XZ-10 scores against the GX7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus XZ-10 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-10 Gallery and Panasonic GX7 Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-10 offers external dimensions of 102mm x 61mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Panasonic GX7 has dimensions of 123mm x 71mm x 55mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 2.2") with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus XZ-10 versus Panasonic GX7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the XZ-10 and the GX7.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-10 and GX7 is 91 and 81 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by checking specifications. The picture here will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-10 and GX7.

To sum up, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-10 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic GX7 will give greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more aged XZ-10 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.