Panasonic ZS1 vs Ricoh WG-50

Its time to look much closer at the Panasonic ZS1 vs Ricoh WG-50, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Waterproof by manufacturers Panasonic and Ricoh. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the ZS1 (10MP) and WG-50 (16MP) and the ZS1 (1/2.5") and WG-50 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS1 was released 9 years earlier than the WG-50 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a concise overview of how the ZS1 matches up versus the WG-50 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Ricoh WG-50. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic ZS1 Gallery and Ricoh WG-50 Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS1 enjoys outer dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Ricoh WG-50 has sizing of 123mm x 62mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS1 vs Ricoh WG-50 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the ZS1 versus the WG-50.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS1 and WG-50 is 91 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, its hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes simply by looking at a spec sheet. The pic underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS1 and WG-50.

As you can see, the two cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS1 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Ricoh WG-50 will give extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more aged ZS1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.