Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic LZ30

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic LZ30, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and LZ30 (16MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and LZ30 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-1 was announced 23 months earlier than the LZ30 making them a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic LZ30 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief summation of how the XZ-1 grades versus the LZ30 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Panasonic LZ30 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-1 has got outside measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Panasonic LZ30 has dimensions of 124mm x 84mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic LZ30 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at that moment. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the XZ-1 vs the LZ30.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and LZ30 is 88 and 66 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements merely by viewing specifications. The graphic below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and LZ30.

To sum up, both cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The XZ-1 using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic LZ30 will provide you with more detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The older XZ-1 will be behind in sensor technology.