Panasonic L10 vs Panasonic SZ1

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic L10 and Panasonic SZ1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Panasonic. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the L10 (10MP) and SZ1 (16MP) and the L10 (Four Thirds) and SZ1 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The L10 was revealed 5 years before the SZ1 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic L10 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a short introduction of how the L10 grades versus the SZ1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic L10 Gallery & Panasonic SZ1 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic L10 has external dimensions of 135mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.3" x 3.8" x 3.1") having a weight of 556 grams (1.23 lbs) whilst the Panasonic SZ1 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic L10 and Panasonic SZ1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that moment. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the L10 against the SZ1.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the L10 and SZ1 is 66 and 95 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizing only by reading through technical specs. The photograph underneath might give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the L10 and SZ1.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The L10 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic SZ1 will give you greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The older L10 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.