Panasonic FX580 vs Panasonic FZ1000

Here is a in-depth assessment of the Panasonic FX580 and Panasonic FZ1000, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are designed by Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the FX580 (12MP) and FZ1000 (20MP) and the FX580 (1/2.3") and FZ1000 (1") offer totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FX580 was introduced 6 years prior to the FZ1000 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FX580 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FZ1000 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the FX580 matches up vs the FZ1000 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FX580 Gallery & Panasonic FZ1000 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera often, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FX580 enjoys outer dimensions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ1000 has proportions of 137mm x 99mm x 131mm (5.4" x 3.9" x 5.2") with a weight of 831 grams (1.83 lbs).

See the Panasonic FX580 and Panasonic FZ1000 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the FX580 and the FZ1000.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FX580 and FZ1000 is 95 and 55 respectively.

Normally, its tough to see the difference in sensor sizing only by checking out specs. The graphic below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FX580 and FZ1000.

All in all, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FX580 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Panasonic FZ1000 will produce greater detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The older FX580 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.