Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G9

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G9, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and G9 (20MP) and the VG-120 (1/2.3") and G9 (Four Thirds) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The VG-120 was manufactured 7 years before the G9 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a simple summation of how the VG-120 matches up against the G9 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VG-120 & Panasonic Lumix DC-G9. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus VG-120 Gallery & Panasonic G9 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VG-120 comes with outside dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G9 has dimensions of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") having a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the VG-120 versus the G9.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the VG-120 and G9 is 96 and 62 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to see the difference between sensor measurements only by looking at specs. The graphic underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-120 and G9.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The VG-120 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic G9 will resolve greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images more aggressively. The older VG-120 is going to be behind in sensor tech.