Panasonic S5 vs Panasonic L1

Here, we are looking at the Panasonic S5 and Panasonic L1, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced DSLR and they are both offered by Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the S5 (24MP) and L1 (7MP) and the S5 (Full frame) and L1 (Four Thirds) have different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The S5 was unveiled 13 years after the L1 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick overview of how the S5 matches up against the L1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic S5 Gallery and Panasonic L1 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic S5 has got external dimensions of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") having a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs) and the Panasonic L1 has proportions of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") and a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic S5 and Panasonic L1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using during that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the S5 against the L1.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the S5 and L1 is 60 and 65 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizes merely by looking at technical specs. The pic below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the S5 and L1.

As you have seen, both of those cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The S5 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic S5 will resolve more detail having an extra 17MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more recent S5 provides an advantage with regard to sensor technology.