Panasonic S1R vs Sony S950

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Panasonic S1R vs Sony S950, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the S1R (47MP) and S950 (10MP) and the S1R (Full frame) and S950 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The S1R was brought out 10 years later than the S950 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic S1R being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick overview of how the S1R scores vs the S950 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic S1R Gallery and Sony S950 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S1R comes with external measurements of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") along with a weight of 1020 grams (2.25 lbs) while the Sony S950 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic S1R vs Sony S950 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the S1R compared to the S950.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S1R and S950 is 54 and 94 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizing only by looking at specifications. The visual below will provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the S1R and S950.

Plainly, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The S1R due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic S1R will give you greater detail having its extra 37 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more recent S1R will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.