Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FZ1000 II

Below is a extensive analysis of the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic FZ1000 II, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and FZ1000 II (20MP) and the VG-160 (1/2.3") and FZ1000 II (1") offer different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The VG-160 was unveiled 8 years before the FZ1000 II and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the VG-160 scores versus the FZ1000 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VG-160 & Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II. The full galleries are provided at Olympus VG-160 Gallery & Panasonic FZ1000 II Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-160 provides outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ1000 II has sizing of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") having a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs).

Check the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic FZ1000 II in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the VG-160 versus the FZ1000 II.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and FZ1000 II is 96 and 55 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to imagine the gap in sensor measurements purely by viewing specifications. The graphic below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the VG-160 and FZ1000 II.

Plainly, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The VG-160 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will provide you with greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures way more aggressively. The older VG-160 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.