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Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
88
Imaging
48
Features
50
Overall
48
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Key Specs

Panasonic GF2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 310g - 113 x 68 x 33mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Succeeded the Panasonic GF1
  • Renewed by Panasonic GF3
Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2012
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Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic GF2 versus Panasonic SZ1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are created by Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the GF2 (12MP) and SZ1 (16MP) and the GF2 (Four Thirds) and SZ1 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.

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The GF2 was announced 10 months earlier than the SZ1 so they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the GF2 matches up vs the SZ1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic GF2 over the Panasonic SZ1

 GF2 SZ1 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Panasonic GF2

 SZ1 GF2 
LaunchedJanuary 2012February 2011More recent by 10 months

Common features in the Panasonic GF2 and Panasonic SZ1

 GF2 SZ1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF2 offers physical measurements of 113mm x 68mm x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") with a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ1 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic GF2 versus Panasonic SZ1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the GF2 against the SZ1.

Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GF2 and SZ1 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading specs. The photograph here may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the GF2 and SZ1.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The GF2 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic SZ1 will offer you greater detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older GF2 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Portrait photography information
Panasonic SZ1 Portrait photography information
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
exports RAW files
MP count low (12 megapixels)
34
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
supports face detection focus
no manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Street photography info
Panasonic SZ1 Street photography info
65
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (131g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Sports photography features
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography features
38
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
low battery power (300 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
40
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
low frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GF2
Travel photography with Panasonic SZ1
52
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery power (300 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
70
lighter than average in class (131g)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
very long zoom (250mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic SZ1 Landscape photography factors
55
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
low battery power (300 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
43
reasonably wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
no manual mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF2 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic SZ1 Vlogging highlights
32
touchscreen capability
comes with face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
lack of microphone socket
32
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
lighter than average in class (131g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic jack
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Panasonic GF2 vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF2 and Panasonic SZ1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Panasonic
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-02-24 2012-01-09
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
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 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 23 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus range - 4cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 8s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 6.00 m 5.60 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 310 grams (0.68 lbs) 131 grams (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 113 x 68 x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" 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 506 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs 250 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch price $330 $179