Clicky

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230

Portability
97
Imaging
39
Features
26
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
25
Overall
30

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 Key Specs

Panasonic XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Revealed January 2013
Sony W230
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 30-120mm (F2.8-5.8) lens
  • 156g - 95 x 57 x 22mm
  • Introduced February 2009
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 Overview

Below is a comprehensive assessment of the Panasonic XS1 versus Sony W230, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the XS1 (16MP) and W230 (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The XS1 was revealed 3 years later than the W230 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a simple view of how the XS1 matches up vs the W230 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

        

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Sony W230

 XS1 W230 
IntroducedJanuary 2013February 2009More recent by 48 months

Reasons to pick Sony W230 over the Panasonic XS1

 W230 XS1 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Common features in the Panasonic XS1 and Sony W230

 XS1 W230 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic XS1 offers physical dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") accompanied by a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs) and the Sony W230 has specifications of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 156 grams (0.34 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic XS1 versus Sony W230 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the XS1 compared to the W230.

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XS1 and W230 is 97 and 95 respectively.

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to visualize the gap between sensor measurements simply by checking specifications. The photograph here will give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the XS1 and W230.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Panasonic XS1 to give you more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The newer XS1 provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 sensor size comparison

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic XS1 Portrait photography features
Sony W230 Portrait photography features
30
decent MP (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
27
focusing manually
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
low MP (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Panasonic XS1 Street photography features
Sony W230 Street photography features
64
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (103 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
56
image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Panasonic XS1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony W230 as a Sports photography camera
40
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
25
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic XS1
Travel photography with Sony W230
69
lighter than others in class (103g)
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.8)
51
flash built-in
no Time Lapse recording
low MP (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (30mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic XS1 Landscape photography info
Sony W230 Landscape photography info
38
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse function
36
focusing manually
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (30mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual exposure not possible
low MP (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic XS1 Vlogging details
Sony W230 Vlogging details
31
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (103g)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic jack
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (30mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (640 x 480 pixels)
no mic port
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Panasonic XS1 vs Sony W230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic XS1 and Sony W230
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2013-01-07 2009-02-17
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) 30-120mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/2.8-6.9 f/2.8-5.8
Macro focus distance 5cm 4cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 1 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.40 m 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 103 grams (0.23 lb) 156 grams (0.34 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") 95 x 57 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 shots -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $130 $180