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Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5

Portability
74
Imaging
68
Features
84
Overall
74
Nikon Z50 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
30
Overall
33

Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 Key Specs

Nikon Z50
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon Z Mount
  • 397g - 127 x 94 x 60mm
  • Released October 2019
Panasonic ZS5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
  • Released June 2010
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ8
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Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 Overview

On this page, we will be analyzing the Nikon Z50 versus Panasonic ZS5, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Nikon and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the Z50 (21MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the Z50 (APS-C) and ZS5 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The Z50 was brought out 9 years later than the ZS5 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Nikon Z50 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the Z50 grades vs the ZS5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon Z50 over the Panasonic ZS5

 Z50 ZS5 
ReleasedOctober 2019June 2010More recent by 114 months
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Nikon Z50

 ZS5 Z50 

Common features in the Nikon Z50 and Panasonic ZS5

 Z50 ZS5 

Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Nikon Z50 enjoys physical dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.4") accompanied by a weight of 397 grams (0.88 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS5 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

See the Nikon Z50 versus Panasonic ZS5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the Z50 compared to the ZS5.

Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the Z50 and ZS5 is 74 and 92 respectively.

Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 top view buttons comparison

Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements just by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the Z50 and ZS5.

Clearly, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The Z50 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Nikon Z50 will show more detail having its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures more aggressively. The fresher Z50 provides an edge in sensor innovation.

Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 sensor size comparison

Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon Z50 Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS5 Portrait photography information
80
has manual focus
megapixel count good (21MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
27
comes with face detect focus
manual focus not available
no external flash support
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Nikon Z50 Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS5 Street photography highlights
73
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
comes with touch focus
environment proof
very good ISO range (51,200)
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competitors (397 grams)
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (214g)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Nikon Z50 Sports photography factors
Panasonic ZS5 Sports photography factors
75
megapixel count good (21MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
lack of image stabilization
31
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
low max shutter speed (1/1,300s)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon Z50
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS5
77
environment proof
connects via bluetooth
comes with touch focus
megapixel count good (21MP)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
more heavy than competitors (397g)
63
lighter than competition in class (214 grams)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
great zoom (300mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon Z50
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS5
79
has manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon Z mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inches)
megapixel count good (21MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
lack of image stabilization
33
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon Z50 Vlogging factors
Panasonic ZS5 Vlogging factors
71
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external microphone port
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competitors (397g)
31
reasonably wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (214g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have mic socket
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Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic ZS5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon Z50 and Panasonic ZS5
 Nikon Z50Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
General Information
Company Nikon Panasonic
Model Nikon Z50 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ8
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2019-10-10 2010-06-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Expeed 6 Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.7mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 369.0mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5568 x 3712 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 51200 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 204800 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 209 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Nikon Z fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Total lenses 15 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.9
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3.2 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1300s
Continuous shutter rate 11.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 7.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.30 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
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 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic 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 None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 397 gr (0.88 pounds) 214 gr (0.47 pounds)
Physical dimensions 127 x 94 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.4") 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
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 320 photographs -
Battery type Built-in -
Battery model EN-EL25 -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch cost $857 $300