Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic FZ1000

Lets look closer at the Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic FZ1000, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and FZ1000 (20MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and FZ1000 (1") provide totally different sensor size.

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The XZ-1 was introduced 4 years earlier than the FZ1000 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the XZ-1 scores against the FZ1000 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Panasonic FZ1000 Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus XZ-1 features outside 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) whilst the Panasonic FZ1000 has sizing of 137mm x 99mm x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2") having a weight of 831 grams (1.83 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic FZ1000 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the XZ-1 versus the FZ1000.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and FZ1000 is 88 and 55 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is hard to envision the difference between sensor dimensions only by reading specifications. The pic below should offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and FZ1000.

To sum up, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-1 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF tougher and the Panasonic FZ1000 will deliver more detail using its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.