Panasonic XS1 vs Pentax Q-S1

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic XS1 and Pentax Q-S1, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the XS1 (16MP) and Q-S1 (12MP) and the XS1 (1/2.3") and Q-S1 (1/1.7") posses different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The XS1 was brought out 19 months earlier than the Q-S1 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax Q-S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a short overview of how the XS1 scores versus the Q-S1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 & Pentax Q-S1. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic XS1 Gallery & Pentax Q-S1 Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic XS1 enjoys exterior measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") and a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs) whilst the Pentax Q-S1 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 203 grams (0.45 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic XS1 and Pentax Q-S1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the XS1 vs the Q-S1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XS1 and Q-S1 is 97 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, it can be difficult to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions simply by viewing specifications. The pic below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the XS1 and Q-S1.

To sum up, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The XS1 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic XS1 will result in greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged XS1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.