Clicky

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5

Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
57
Overall
45
Canon PowerShot S120 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
23
Overall
32

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 Key Specs

Canon S120
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F1.8-5.7) lens
  • 217g - 100 x 59 x 29mm
  • Revealed November 2013
  • Succeeded the Canon S110
Panasonic F5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.2-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 97 x 58 x 22mm
  • Released January 2013
Photography Glossary

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Canon S120 versus Panasonic F5, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by brands Canon and Panasonic. The image resolution of the S120 (12MP) and the F5 (14MP) is fairly close but the S120 (1/1.7") and F5 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The S120 was unveiled 11 months after the F5 and they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise summation of how the S120 grades vs the F5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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

Reasons to pick Canon S120 over the Panasonic F5

 S120 F5 
ReleasedNovember 2013January 2013More modern by 11 months
Manually focus Very exact focus
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic F5 over the Canon S120

 F5 S120 

Common features in the Canon S120 and Panasonic F5

 S120 F5 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Canon S120 enjoys outside measurements of 100mm x 59mm x 29mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 217 grams (0.48 lbs) and the Panasonic F5 has proportions of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") and a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Contrast the Canon S120 versus Panasonic F5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the S120 vs the F5.

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the S120 and F5 is 92 and 96 respectively.

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 top view buttons comparison

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's difficult to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by viewing specs. The picture here might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the S120 and F5.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The S120 using its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic F5 will render extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos far more aggressively. The newer S120 should have an edge in sensor tech.

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 sensor size comparison

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon S120 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic F5 as a Portrait photography camera
42
manual focus
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW files
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
29
good MP (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Canon S120 Street photography factors
Panasonic F5 Street photography factors
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
offers touch to focus
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
heavier than competition (217 grams)
56
lighter than others in class (121g)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Canon S120 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic F5 as a Sports photography camera
38
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking autofocus
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
doesn't have phase detect AF
33
good MP (14 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Canon S120 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic F5 as a Travel photography camera
67
offers touch to focus
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
heavier than competition (217g)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
68
lighter than others in class (121g)
good MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Canon S120 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic F5 Landscape photography factors
57
manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
33
quite wide (28mm)
good MP (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no manual mode
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Canon S120 Vlogging details
Panasonic F5 Vlogging details
35
quite wide (24mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic jack
heavier than competition (217g)
28
quite wide (28mm)
lighter than others in class (121g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have microphone socket
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Canon S120 vs Panasonic F5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon S120 and Panasonic F5
 Canon PowerShot S120Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Panasonic
Model type Canon PowerShot S120 Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2013-11-26 2013-01-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 6 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-120mm (5.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/1.8-5.7 f/3.2-6.5
Macro focusing range 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 4.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 922 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT PureColor II G Touch screen LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 seconds 8 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 12.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m 5.70 m
Flash settings Auto, on, slow synchro, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 or 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 217 gr (0.48 pounds) 121 gr (0.27 pounds)
Dimensions 100 x 59 x 29mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 1.1") 97 x 58 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.3 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.9 not tested
DXO Low light rating 246 not tested
Other
Battery life 230 images 250 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-6LH -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $449 $100