Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic FH20

Let's look more closely at the Olympus XZ-1 versus Panasonic FH20, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and FH20 (14MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and FH20 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-1 was released 13 months later than the FH20 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short summation of how the XZ-1 matches up against the FH20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Panasonic FH20 Gallery.

In case you're looking to lug around your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-1 provides external measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Panasonic FH20 has dimensions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus XZ-1 versus Panasonic FH20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the XZ-1 vs the FH20.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-1 and FH20 is 88 and 93 respectively.

Normally, it is difficult to imagine the difference in sensor measurements purely by seeing technical specs. The photograph underneath might give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and FH20.

As you have seen, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The XZ-1 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FH20 will provide greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more recent XZ-1 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.