Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 and the Sigma SD1 Merrill, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 was introduced in February 2012 and Sigma SD1 Merrill was introduced in April 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 over Sigma SD1 Merrill.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sigma SD1 Merrill over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 and Sigma SD1 Merrill have 3.0" Fixed screens with 460k dot resolution. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Sigma SD1 Merrill has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 96% coverage and 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 features a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 224.9 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 12,800. Sigma SD1 Merrill features a 15 megapixel APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor with dimensions of 24 x 16 mm and a total area of 256 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 is equipped with Venus Engine FHD processor and can take pictures up to 4592 x 3448 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4576 x 3056, 4576 x 2576, 3424 x 3424, 3232 x 2424, 3232 x 2160, 3232 x 1824, 2416 x 2416, 2272 x 1704, 2272 x 1520, 1920 x 1080, 1824 x 1368, 1824 x 1216, 1824 x 1024 , 1712 x 1712, 1712 x 1712 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Sigma SD1 Merrill is equipped with Dual TRUE II processor and can take pictures up to 4800 x 3200 resolution.

Lens Mount

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount and Sigma SD1 Merrill has Sigma SA lens mount. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2. Due to APS-C sensor in Sigma SD1 Merrill its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sigma SD1 Merrill

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sigma SD1 Merrill. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sigma SD1 Merrill nothing can be done. On Sigma SD1 Merrill it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 nothing can be done.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

External Storage Slots

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Sigma SD1 Merrill has a single CompactFlash (Type I, UDMA compatible) card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, and up to [] on Sigma SD1 Merrill. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 can shoot continuously up to 4.2 fps.

Focusing

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 has 23 focusing points and Sigma SD1 Merrill has . Sigma SD1 Merrill has detection range from 0 to +18 EV.

Flash

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 7.60 m and also accepts external flash. Sigma SD1 Merrill has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 and 1/180 sec on Sigma SD1 Merrill.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 body has dimensions of 116 x 68 x 39 mm (4.57 x 2.68 x 1.54") and Sigma SD1 Merrill body has dimensions of 146 x 113 x 80 mm (5.75 x 4.45 x 3.15"). Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 weighs 318 g (0.70 lb / 11.22 oz) and Sigma SD1 Merrill weighs 790 g (1.74 lb / 27.87 oz).

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Sigma SD1 Merrill

116 mm

68 mm

146 mm

113 mm

68 mm

113 mm

39 mm

80 mm