Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the S1 (24MP) and HX20V (18MP) and the S1 (Full frame) and HX20V (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The S1 was manufactured 6 years later than the HX20V and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the S1 grades versus the HX20V with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic S1 Gallery & Sony HX20V Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic S1 offers outside dimensions of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") along with a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs) whilst the Sony HX20V has sizing of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") along with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the S1 against the HX20V.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the S1 and HX20V is 54 and 90 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the S1 and HX20V.

As you can see, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The S1 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic S1 will render greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures far more aggressively. The more recent S1 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.