Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic XS1

Lets look much closer at the Olympus XZ-1 versus Panasonic XS1, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and XS1 (16MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and XS1 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The XZ-1 was released 23 months before the XS1 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the XZ-1 scores versus the XS1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1. The complete galleries are available at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Panasonic XS1 Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-1 enjoys 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) while the Panasonic XS1 has specifications of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") along with a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Check the Olympus XZ-1 versus Panasonic XS1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is the front view size comparison of the XZ-1 vs the XS1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and XS1 is 88 and 97 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-1 and XS1.

As you can see, both of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The XZ-1 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic XS1 will show extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.