Panasonic S3 vs Sony WX1

The following is a thorough assessment of the Panasonic S3 versus Sony WX1, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the S3 (14MP) and WX1 (10MP) and the S3 (1/2.3") and WX1 (1/2.4") boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The S3 was brought out 18 months after the WX1 making them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera and the Sony WX1 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the S3 matches up vs the WX1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic S3 Gallery & Sony WX1 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic S3 provides exterior dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Sony WX1 has sizing of 91mm x 52mm x 20mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.8") having a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic S3 versus Sony WX1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the S3 versus the WX1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S3 and WX1 is 96 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by looking through technical specs. The picture underneath will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the S3 and WX1.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The S3 because of its larger sensor will make getting bokeh easier and the Panasonic S3 will result in greater detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more modern S3 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.