Panasonic FP1 vs Panasonic ZS100

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic FP1 and Panasonic ZS100, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Panasonic. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the FP1 (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the FP1 (1/2.3") and ZS100 (1") provide totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FP1 was launched 7 years prior to the ZS100 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FP1 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a short summary of how the FP1 grades vs the ZS100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FP1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic FP1 comes with external measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") with a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS100 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FP1 and Panasonic ZS100 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the FP1 against the ZS100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the FP1 and ZS100 is 95 and 87 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing technical specs. The visual underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FP1 and ZS100.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FP1 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic ZS100 will result in more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older FP1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.