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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
Portability
97
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Released August 2012
Panasonic XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Launched January 2013
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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and XS1 (16MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The VH-515 was manufactured 4 months earlier than the XS1 so they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the VH-515 scores vs the XS1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Panasonic XS1

 VH-515 XS1 
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Olympus VH-515

 XS1 VH-515 

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic XS1

 VH-515 XS1 
LaunchedAugust 2012January 2013Similar age
Manual focus No manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus VH-515 offers external measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") having a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Panasonic XS1 has sizing of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") and a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

See the Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the VH-515 vs the XS1.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and XS1 is 95 and 97 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading a spec sheet. The picture here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the VH-515 and XS1.

As you can see, both cameras feature the identical sensor size but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Panasonic XS1 to offer more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images way more aggressively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic XS1 Portrait photography highlights
27
features face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
30
good MP (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography features
Panasonic XS1 Street photography features
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports touch to focus
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
64
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (103 grams)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus VH-515
Sports photography with Panasonic XS1
32
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
41
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Travel photography details
Panasonic XS1 Travel photography details
62
supports touch to focus
flash built-in
reasonably wide (26mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
69
lighter than competitors (103g)
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography info
Panasonic XS1 Landscape photography info
37
reasonably wide (26mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not available
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
39
relatively wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Vlogging camera
35
reasonably wide (26mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of mic jack
31
relatively wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (103 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic socket
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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic XS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic XS1
 Olympus VH-515Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus VH-515 Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2012-08-21 2013-01-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III+ -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/2.8-6.9
Macro focusing range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology TFT Color LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.70 m 4.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 152 grams (0.34 pounds) 103 grams (0.23 pounds)
Physical dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 pictures
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $648 $130