Panasonic LX100 II vs Panasonic ZS5

The following is a thorough review of the Panasonic LX100 II versus Panasonic ZS5, former is a Large Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the LX100 II (17MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the LX100 II (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The LX100 II was announced 8 years after the ZS5 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic LX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple summation of how the LX100 II scores versus the ZS5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic LX100 II Gallery & Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic LX100 II comes with outside dimensions of 115mm x 66mm x 64mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 2.5") along with a weight of 392 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS5 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic LX100 II versus Panasonic ZS5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the LX100 II vs the ZS5.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the LX100 II and ZS5 is 81 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions purely by looking at technical specs. The pic here should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the LX100 II and ZS5.

As you have seen, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The LX100 II using its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic LX100 II will resolve more detail with its extra 5MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively. The fresher LX100 II is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.