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Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V

Portability
54
Imaging
75
Features
84
Overall
78
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V Key Specs

Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 1021g - 149 x 110 x 97mm
  • Launched February 2019
Sony HX20V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Revealed July 2012
  • Older Model is Sony HX10V
  • Updated by Sony HX30V
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Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V Overview

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the S1 (24MP) and HX20V (18MP) and the S1 (Full frame) and HX20V (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The S1 was manufactured 6 years later than the HX20V and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX20V being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the S1 grades versus the HX20V with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Sony HX20V

 S1 HX20V 
RevealedFebruary 2019July 2012Fresher by 80 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution2100k922kCrisper screen (+1178k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Panasonic S1

 HX20V S1 

Common features in the Panasonic S1 and Sony HX20V

 S1 HX20V 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic S1 offers outside dimensions of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") along with a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs) whilst the Sony HX20V has sizing of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") along with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the S1 against the HX20V.

Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the S1 and HX20V is 54 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor sizing purely by researching a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the S1 and HX20V.

As you can see, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The S1 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic S1 will render greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures far more aggressively. The more recent S1 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V sensor size comparison

Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S1 Portrait photography information
Sony HX20V Portrait photography information
85
has manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/320s)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports face detect focusing
saves RAW files
45
manual focus
resolution is good (18 megapixels)
includes face detect autofocus
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic S1
Street photography with Sony HX20V
70
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW files
boasts touch to focus
weather proofing
great ISO range (51,200)
more heavy than competition in class (1,021g)
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (254 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S1 Sports photography advice
Sony HX20V Sports photography advice
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
weather proofing
terrible battery (380 CIPA)
lacks phase detect AF
49
amazing zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
includes tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic S1 Travel photography advice
Sony HX20V Travel photography advice
59
weather proofing
has bluetooth
boasts touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
terrible battery (380 shots)
more heavy than competition in class (1,021 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
69
lighter than competition in class (254g)
resolution is good (18MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
very long reach (500mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic S1
Landscape photography with Sony HX20V
81
has manual focus
change lenses (Leica L mount)
screen is a decent size (3.2")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
2 card slots
terrible battery (380 CIPA)
50
manual focus
quite wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (18MP)
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic S1
Vlogging with Sony HX20V
32
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes microphone support
screen isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than competition in class (1,021 grams)
34
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (254g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.2)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have mic port
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Panasonic S1 vs Sony HX20V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S1 and Sony HX20V
 Panasonic Lumix DC-S1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2019-02-01 2012-07-20
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 35.6 x 23.8mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 847.3mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 51200 12800
Highest boosted ISO 204800 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Lowest boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 225 9
Lens
Lens mount type Leica L fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 30 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3.2 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 2,100k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 5,760k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/8000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 7.10 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes (can be charged with high-power laptop/tablet chargers or portable power banks) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 1021 gr (2.25 pounds) 254 gr (0.56 pounds)
Dimensions 149 x 110 x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 95 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 25.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 3333 not tested
Other
Battery life 380 shots 320 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BG1
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage - SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 2 One
Pricing at launch $2,498 $397