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Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20

Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
51
Overall
41
Olympus XZ-1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
Portability
92
Imaging
38
Features
46
Overall
41

Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 275g - 111 x 65 x 42mm
  • Revealed January 2011
Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ30
  • Old Model is Panasonic ZS15
  • Updated by Panasonic ZS25
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 Overview

Following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus XZ-1 versus Panasonic ZS20, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and ZS20 (14MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and ZS20 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-1 was launched 15 months before the ZS20 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the XZ-1 grades vs the ZS20 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-1 over the Panasonic ZS20

 XZ-1 ZS20 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen resolution614k460kCrisper screen (+154k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Olympus XZ-1

 ZS20 XZ-1 
IntroducedApril 2012January 2011More modern by 15 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic ZS20

 XZ-1 ZS20 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-1 offers external dimensions 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 ZS20 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-1 versus Panasonic ZS20 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the XZ-1 compared to the ZS20.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and ZS20 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes only by reading technical specs. The image below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-1 and ZS20.

As you have seen, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The XZ-1 due to its bigger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh easier and the Panasonic ZS20 will offer greater detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS20 as a Portrait photography camera
45
you can focus manually
has face detection focus
exports RAW files
megapixel count low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/1.63")
30
good MP (14MP)
manual focus not available
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Street photography features
Panasonic ZS20 Street photography features
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/1.63")
more heavy than competition in class (275g)
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers focus by touch
lighter than competition in class (206g)
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus XZ-1
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS20
38
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has tracking autofocus
good battery power (320 shots)
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/1.63")
lacks phase detect auto focus
47
excellent zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
bad battery power (260 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Travel photography features
Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography features
62
good battery power (320 CIPA)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than competition in class (275 grams)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
68
lighter than competition in class (206 grams)
offers focus by touch
good MP (14MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
very long reach (480mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (260 shots)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography advice
54
you can focus manually
quite wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
good battery power (320 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/1.63")
does not have Timelapse function
42
relatively wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
bad battery power (260 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus XZ-1
Vlogging with Panasonic ZS20
31
quite wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focus
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (275 grams)
34
relatively wide (24mm)
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (206g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
missing external mic socket
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic ZS20
 Olympus XZ-1Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus XZ-1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
Also called - Lumix DMC-TZ30
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2011-01-26 2012-04-26
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.63" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 8.07 x 5.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 44.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3664 x 2752 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 24-480mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance 1cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 4.5 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 614 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology OLED -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 15s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) 6.40 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 275 grams (0.61 pounds) 206 grams (0.45 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 65 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 34 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 18.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 117 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 260 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail cost $567 $349