Panasonic S1 vs Sony A380

Lets examine more in depth at the Panasonic S1 and Sony A380, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the S1 (12MP) and the A380 (14MP) is fairly close but the S1 (1/2.3") and A380 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The S1 was unveiled 17 months later than the A380 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a thorough comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the S1 matches up against the A380 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A380. The full galleries are available at Panasonic S1 Gallery and Sony A380 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S1 has outer measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Sony A380 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic S1 and Sony A380 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the S1 and the A380.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the S1 and A380 is 96 and 68 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by looking through specifications. The graphic here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the S1 and A380.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The S1 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A380 will result in more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The younger S1 will have an edge in sensor technology.