Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic FH5

Below, we are contrasting the Panasonic S1 and Panasonic FH5, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are designed by Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the S1 (24MP) and FH5 (16MP) and the S1 (Full frame) and FH5 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The S1 was unveiled 8 years after the FH5 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the S1 matches up versus the FH5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic S1 Gallery & Panasonic FH5 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic S1 offers external measurements of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") accompanied by a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH5 has sizing of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic S1 and Panasonic FH5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the S1 compared to the FH5.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the S1 and FH5 is 54 and 96 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by viewing specifications. The image below will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the S1 and FH5.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The S1 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic S1 will result in greater detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent S1 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.