Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS5

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS5, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the XZ-1 (10MP) and the ZS5 (12MP) is fairly similar but the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and ZS5 (1/2.3") boast different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-1 was manufactured 8 months after the ZS5 which means that they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a short introduction of how the XZ-1 matches up versus the ZS5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus XZ-1 has got external 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 ZS5 has specifications of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic ZS5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use at that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the XZ-1 compared to the ZS5.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-1 and ZS5 is 88 and 92 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes simply by reviewing technical specs. The pic below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-1 and ZS5.

As you have seen, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The XZ-1 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS5 will deliver greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The newer XZ-1 should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.