Panasonic FZ1000 II vs Sony WX5

Below, we are evaluating the Panasonic FZ1000 II versus Sony WX5, former is a Large Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the FZ1000 II (20MP) and WX5 (12MP) and the FZ1000 II (1") and WX5 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The FZ1000 II was launched 8 years after the WX5 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony WX5 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the FZ1000 II scores vs the WX5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ1000 II Gallery & Sony WX5 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FZ1000 II offers outside dimensions of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") along with a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs) whilst the Sony WX5 has measurements of 92mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9") having a weight of 146 grams (0.32 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FZ1000 II versus Sony WX5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the FZ1000 II against the WX5.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the FZ1000 II and WX5 is 55 and 95 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The picture here will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FZ1000 II and WX5.

All in all, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The FZ1000 II due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will offer more detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent FZ1000 II is going to have an edge in sensor tech.