Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic GH3

Lets look more closely at the Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic GH3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and GH3 (16MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and GH3 (Four Thirds) boast totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-1 was manufactured 20 months prior to the GH3 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the XZ-1 grades against the GH3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. The entire galleries are available at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Panasonic GH3 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-1 enjoys physical dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Panasonic GH3 has specifications of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") along with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic GH3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the XZ-1 and the GH3.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and GH3 is 88 and 66 respectively.

Generally, it is very tough to envision the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading through a spec sheet. The pic here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-1 and GH3.

As you can see, each of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-1 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic GH3 will give more detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.