Panasonic GF1 vs Sony WX500

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic GF1 and Sony WX500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the GF1 (12MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the GF1 (Four Thirds) and WX500 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The GF1 was manufactured 6 years before the WX500 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summation of how the GF1 grades against the WX500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic GF1 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GF1 provides exterior 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) while the Sony WX500 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Panasonic GF1 and Sony WX500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the GF1 and the WX500.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GF1 and WX500 is 85 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements simply by researching a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GF1 and WX500.

As you can see, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GF1 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Sony WX500 will result in more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older GF1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.