Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic ZS100

Here, we are looking at the Olympus VG-120 versus Panasonic ZS100, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the VG-120 (14MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the VG-120 (1/2.3") and ZS100 (1") have different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The VG-120 was revealed 6 years prior to the ZS100 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the VG-120 scores against the ZS100 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VG-120 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The full galleries are available at Olympus VG-120 Gallery & Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-120 features outside dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS100 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Olympus VG-120 versus Panasonic ZS100 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the VG-120 and the ZS100.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the VG-120 and ZS100 is 96 and 87 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements just by viewing specs. The graphic underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-120 and ZS100.

As you can plainly see, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The VG-120 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS100 will result in extra detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The older VG-120 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.