Panasonic ZR1 vs Panasonic ZS100

On this page, we will be reviewing the Panasonic ZR1 vs Panasonic ZS100, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both are produced by Panasonic. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the ZR1 (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the ZR1 (1/2.3") and ZS100 (1") provide totally different sensor size.

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The ZR1 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the ZS100 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the ZR1 grades against the ZS100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The full galleries are available at Panasonic ZR1 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZR1 comes with outside dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS100 has measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZR1 vs Panasonic ZS100 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the ZR1 vs the ZS100.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the ZR1 and ZS100 is 94 and 87 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor measurements merely by researching specs. The graphic here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the ZR1 and ZS100.

All in all, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZR1 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Panasonic ZS100 will result in extra detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The older ZR1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.