Panasonic GH1 vs Panasonic ZS45

Let's look much closer at the Panasonic GH1 and Panasonic ZS45, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are sold by Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the GH1 (12MP) and ZS45 (16MP) and the GH1 (Four Thirds) and ZS45 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The GH1 was brought out 6 years earlier than the ZS45 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the GH1 grades versus the ZS45 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic GH1 Gallery & Panasonic ZS45 Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GH1 provides exterior dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS45 has measurements of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

See the Panasonic GH1 and Panasonic ZS45 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the GH1 and the ZS45.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GH1 and ZS45 is 81 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes merely by looking through technical specs. The pic underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH1 and ZS45.

As you have seen, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The GH1 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic ZS45 will result in more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged GH1 will be behind in sensor tech.