Panasonic S1 vs Sony A6500

On this page, we will be reviewing the Panasonic S1 versus Sony A6500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the S1 (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the S1 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The S1 was launched 6 years prior to the A6500 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the S1 scores versus the A6500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 & Sony Alpha a6500. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic S1 Gallery & Sony A6500 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic S1 has outer dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic S1 versus Sony A6500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the S1 against the A6500.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S1 and A6500 is 96 and 81 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements simply by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the S1 and A6500.

As you can see, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The S1 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Sony A6500 will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older S1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.