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Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20

Portability
62
Imaging
60
Features
90
Overall
72
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
46
Overall
40

Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 Key Specs

Panasonic G9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Introduced November 2017
Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Released April 2012
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ30
  • Old Model is Panasonic ZS15
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS25
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Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 Overview

Following is a comprehensive comparison of the Panasonic G9 versus Panasonic ZS20, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the G9 (20MP) and ZS20 (14MP) and the G9 (Four Thirds) and ZS20 (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The G9 was introduced 5 years after the ZS20 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the G9 grades vs the ZS20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Panasonic ZS20

 G9 ZS20 
ReleasedNovember 2017April 2012More modern by 68 months
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k460kClearer screen (+580k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Panasonic G9

 ZS20 G9 

Common features in the Panasonic G9 and Panasonic ZS20

 G9 ZS20 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic G9 provides external dimensions of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") and a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS20 has specifications of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic G9 versus Panasonic ZS20 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the G9 versus the ZS20.

Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the G9 and ZS20 is 62 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes simply by seeing specifications. The pic here may give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the G9 and ZS20.

Plainly, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The G9 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic G9 will produce greater detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more recent G9 provides an advantage in sensor technology.

Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G9 Portrait photography info
Panasonic ZS20 Portrait photography info
76
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
30
decent megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G9 Street photography advice
Panasonic ZS20 Street photography advice
75
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features focus by touch
environment proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
65
image stabilization (Optical)
supports touch to focus
lighter than others (206g)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G9 Sports photography details
Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography details
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
fast shooting (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
terrible battery life (400 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
47
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery (260 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G9 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography highlights
70
environment proofing
has bluetooth
features focus by touch
megapixel count decent (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery life (400 CIPA)
68
lighter than others (206 grams)
supports touch to focus
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (24mm)
great reach (480mm)
does not have Timelapse function
low battery (260 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G9 Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography info
76
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
does not have low pass filter
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
2 card slots
terrible battery life (400 shots)
42
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
low battery (260 per charge)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G9 Vlogging info
Panasonic ZS20 Vlogging info
76
display is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with external microphone support
34
reasonably wide (24mm)
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others (206 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone support
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Panasonic G9 vs Panasonic ZS20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G9 and Panasonic ZS20
 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
General Information
Company Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ30
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2017-11-08 2012-04-26
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 5184 x 3888 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 225 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-480mm (20.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 3,680 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.83x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 15s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shooting rate 20.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 658 grams (1.45 pounds) 206 grams (0.45 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 400 photos 260 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DMW-BLF19 -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Dual 1
Launch cost $1,500 $349