Clicky

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1

Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 Key Specs

Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Panasonic SZ1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 131g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Released January 2012
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 Overview

On this page, we will be matching up the Panasonic S1 versus Panasonic SZ1, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras and they are both produced by Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the S1 (12MP) and SZ1 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor size (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The S1 was unveiled 12 months earlier than the SZ1 which means that they are both of a similar age. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick overview of how the S1 grades versus the SZ1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Panasonic SZ1

 S1 SZ1 

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ1 over the Panasonic S1

 SZ1 S1 
ReleasedJanuary 2012January 2011Fresher by 12 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Panasonic S1 and Panasonic SZ1

 S1 SZ1 
Focus manually Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S1 enjoys outer measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) and 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).

Examine the Panasonic S1 versus Panasonic SZ1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the S1 compared to the SZ1.

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S1 and SZ1 is 96 and 95 respectively.

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing only by reading a spec sheet. The graphic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the S1 and SZ1.

Clearly, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Panasonic SZ1 to offer more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older S1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S1 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic SZ1 Portrait photography highlights
21
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
34
decent MP (16MP)
comes with face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Panasonic S1 Street photography factors
Panasonic SZ1 Street photography factors
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (131g)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Panasonic S1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic SZ1 Sports photography advice
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
low frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Panasonic S1 Travel photography features
Panasonic SZ1 Travel photography features
62
lighter than competition in class (117g)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
70
lighter than competition in class (131 grams)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
long reach (250mm)
no Time Lapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic S1
Landscape photography with Panasonic SZ1
32
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
43
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S1 Vlogging factors
Panasonic SZ1 Vlogging factors
31
relatively wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone support
32
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
lighter than competition in class (131g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic port
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Panasonic S1 vs Panasonic SZ1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S1 and Panasonic SZ1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-01-05 2012-01-09
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine IV -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 23
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Max aperture f/3.1-5.6 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing distance 5cm 4cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 8s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed - 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 5.60 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 117 grams (0.26 lb) 131 grams (0.29 lb)
Physical dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 240 pictures 250 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $269 $179