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Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5

Portability
85
Imaging
47
Features
47
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
38
Features
34
Overall
36

Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Key Specs

Panasonic GF1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 119 x 71 x 36mm
  • Revealed October 2009
  • New Model is Panasonic GF2
Panasonic SZ5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 104 x 58 x 21mm
  • Launched July 2012
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Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both offered by Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the GF1 (12MP) and the SZ5 (14MP) is fairly similar but the GF1 (Four Thirds) and SZ5 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizes.

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The GF1 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the SZ5 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short view of how the GF1 matches up against the SZ5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF1 over the Panasonic SZ5

 GF1 SZ5 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ5 over the Panasonic GF1

 SZ5 GF1 
LaunchedJuly 2012October 2009More recent by 33 months

Common features in the Panasonic GF1 and Panasonic SZ5

 GF1 SZ5 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display dimensions
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF1 offers physical dimensions of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") having a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ5 has dimensions of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the GF1 compared to the SZ5.

Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GF1 and SZ5 is 85 and 95 respectively.

Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading specifications. The visual underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the GF1 and SZ5.

To sum up, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GF1 due to its larger sensor will make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic SZ5 will deliver greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a little more aggressively. The older GF1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic SZ5 Portrait photography advice
60
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
34
MP count good (14MP)
provides face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF1 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic SZ5 as a Street photography camera
64
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (136g)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Sports photography details
Panasonic SZ5 Sports photography details
44
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
great battery pack (380 CIPA)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
provides tracking focus
low fps (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Travel photography details
Panasonic SZ5 Travel photography details
59
great battery pack (380 per charge)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly display
70
lighter than competitors (136g)
MP count good (14MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
missing Timelapse recording
does not have selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF1 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic SZ5 as a Landscape photography camera
60
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (380 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
no Time Lapse recording
42
quite wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF1 Vlogging information
Panasonic SZ5 Vlogging information
25
offers face detect autofocus
does not have selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic jack
32
quite wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focusing
lighter than competitors (136 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not have selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone jack
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Panasonic GF1 vs Panasonic SZ5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF1 and Panasonic SZ5
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5
General Information
Company Panasonic Panasonic
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-10-14 2012-07-18
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine HD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 3200 1600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 23 23
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 8s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 6.00 m 5.60 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720p ( 30,25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 385 gr (0.85 lb) 136 gr (0.30 lb)
Dimensions 119 x 71 x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") 104 x 58 x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 54 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 513 not tested
Other
Battery life 380 images 250 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/MMC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail price $400 $195