Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic GX9

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic GX9, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and GX9 (20MP) and the VG-160 (1/2.3") and GX9 (Four Thirds) use different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The VG-160 was brought out 7 years earlier than the GX9 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the VG-160 scores against the GX9 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Panasonic GX9 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus VG-160 comes with outer measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Panasonic GX9 has sizing of 124mm x 72mm x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 407 grams (0.90 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic GX9 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view size comparison of the VG-160 versus the GX9.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the VG-160 and GX9 is 96 and 82 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes just by going over a spec sheet. The image underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the VG-160 and GX9.

As you can see, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The VG-160 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Panasonic GX9 will deliver greater detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will help you crop images far more aggressively. The more aged VG-160 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.