Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic GX850

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic GX850, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and GX850 (16MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and GX850 (Four Thirds) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The XZ-1 was announced 7 years prior to the GX850 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX850 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short highlight of how the XZ-1 grades vs the GX850 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Panasonic GX850 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-1 comes with outer dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Panasonic GX850 has dimensions of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Look at the Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic GX850 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the XZ-1 compared to the GX850.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-1 and GX850 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Typically, it can be tough to picture the difference in sensor dimensions only by going through a spec sheet. The pic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-1 and GX850.

Clearly, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-1 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF harder and the Panasonic GX850 will provide greater detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.