Panasonic S1 vs Sony WX500

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic S1 and Sony WX500, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the S1 (24MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the S1 (Full frame) and WX500 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The S1 was announced 3 years later than the WX500 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the S1 grades against the WX500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic S1 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S1 has got outside dimensions of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") having a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs) while the Sony WX500 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic S1 and Sony WX500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the S1 compared to the WX500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the S1 and WX500 is 54 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is hard to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements purely by viewing technical specs. The visual here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the S1 and WX500.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The S1 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic S1 will render more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The fresher S1 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.