Panasonic S1 vs Sony A300

Below, we will be looking at the Panasonic S1 and Sony A300, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the S1 (12MP) and the A300 (10MP) is pretty close but the S1 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The S1 was revealed 2 years later than the A300 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a quick view of how the S1 grades vs the A300 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic S1 Gallery and Sony A300 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S1 offers exterior measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Sony A300 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic S1 and Sony A300 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the S1 vs the A300.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S1 and A300 is 96 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing only by researching technical specs. The graphic here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the S1 and A300.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The S1 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Panasonic S1 will render more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The younger S1 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.