Panasonic L1 vs Panasonic SZ3

On this page, we are looking at the Panasonic L1 and Panasonic SZ3, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are manufactured by Panasonic. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the L1 (7MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the L1 (Four Thirds) and SZ3 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.

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The L1 was manufactured 6 years prior to the SZ3 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the L1 matches up versus the SZ3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic L1 Gallery and Panasonic SZ3 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you have to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic L1 enjoys physical measurements of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") with a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ3 has specifications of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Panasonic L1 and Panasonic SZ3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the L1 against the SZ3.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the L1 and SZ3 is 65 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing a spec sheet. The graphic here might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the L1 and SZ3.

As you can see, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The L1 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic SZ3 will show more detail due to its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The older L1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.