Panasonic XS1 vs Sony NEX-7

Following is a complete comparison of the Panasonic XS1 vs Sony NEX-7, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the XS1 (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the XS1 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The XS1 was brought out 14 months after the NEX-7 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the XS1 matches up versus the NEX-7 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 & Sony Alpha NEX-7. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic XS1 Gallery & Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic XS1 enjoys exterior dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") having a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-7 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic XS1 vs Sony NEX-7 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the XS1 compared to the NEX-7.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the XS1 and NEX-7 is 97 and 84 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualize the gap in sensor sizes merely by going through specs. The picture below will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the XS1 and NEX-7.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The XS1 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony NEX-7 will provide more detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The newer XS1 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.