Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic LX100 II

Below is a extended assessment of the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic LX100 II, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the LX100 II (17MP) is relatively close but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and LX100 II (Four Thirds) use totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The VG-160 was launched 7 years prior to the LX100 II and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic LX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple view of how the VG-160 scores versus the LX100 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II. The complete galleries are available at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Panasonic LX100 II Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and measurements. 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) and the Panasonic LX100 II has proportions of 115mm x 66mm x 64mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 392 grams (0.86 lbs).

Compare the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic LX100 II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the VG-160 compared to the LX100 II.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the VG-160 and LX100 II is 96 and 81 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements only by looking through specs. The photograph here will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the VG-160 and LX100 II.

All in all, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The VG-160 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh trickier and the Panasonic LX100 II will result in extra detail utilizing its extra 3MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older VG-160 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.