Panasonic GF1 vs Sony W690

Here is a extended review of the Panasonic GF1 and Sony W690, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the GF1 (12MP) and W690 (16MP) and the GF1 (Four Thirds) and W690 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizing.

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The GF1 was released 3 years earlier than the W690 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the GF1 grades versus the W690 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic GF1 Gallery and Sony W690 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GF1 comes with outer dimensions of 119mm x 71mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) whilst the Sony W690 has proportions of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic GF1 and Sony W690 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the GF1 and the W690.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GF1 and W690 is 85 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing purely by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the GF1 and W690.

As you can see, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The GF1 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony W690 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older GF1 will be behind in sensor tech.