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Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500

Portability
54
Imaging
78
Features
84
Overall
80
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 front
Portability
91
Imaging
43
Features
56
Overall
48

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 Key Specs

Panasonic S1R
(Full Review)
  • 47MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 1020g - 149 x 110 x 97mm
  • Released February 2019
Sony WX500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 236g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Revealed April 2015
  • Previous Model is Sony WX350
Photography Glossary

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Panasonic S1R and Sony WX500, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the S1R (47MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the S1R (Full frame) and WX500 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The S1R was brought out 3 years after the WX500 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic S1R being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the S1R scores against the WX500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S1R over the Sony WX500

 S1R WX500 
RevealedFebruary 2019April 2015Newer by 47 months
Focus manually More precise focusing
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution2100k921kCrisper screen (+1179k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony WX500 over the Panasonic S1R

 WX500 S1R 

Common features in the Panasonic S1R and Sony WX500

 S1R WX500 
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic S1R enjoys exterior dimensions of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") with a weight of 1020 grams (2.25 lbs) and the Sony WX500 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic S1R and Sony WX500 in our completely 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 select during that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the S1R vs the WX500.

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S1R and WX500 is 54 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is hard to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions simply by viewing a spec sheet. The image underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the S1R and WX500.

As you can see, the two cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The S1R due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic S1R will provide you with greater detail having its extra 29MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots way more aggressively. The newer S1R should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic S1R
Portrait photography with Sony WX500
86
focusing manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/320s)
resolution is amazing (47 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
39
good MP (18MP)
supports face detection focus
manual focus not available
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic S1R
Street photography with Sony WX500
71
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
comes with touch to focus
weather sealing
above average high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than competitors (1,020g)
69
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (236g)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S1R Sports photography info
Sony WX500 Sports photography info
77
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is amazing (47 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
weather sealing
not so great battery life (360 per charge)
no phase detect AF
57
amazing zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
great battery power (360 shots)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic S1R Travel photography features
Sony WX500 Travel photography features
60
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
comes with touch to focus
resolution is amazing (47MP)
not so great battery life (360 shots)
more heavy than competitors (1,020 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
71
great battery power (360 per charge)
lighter than competition (236 grams)
good MP (18MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (24mm)
long reach (720mm)
missing Timelapse function
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic S1R
Landscape photography with Sony WX500
82
focusing manually
switch lenses (Leica L mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is amazing (47 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
no anti aliasing filter
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
two card slots
not so great battery life (360 per charge)
49
relatively wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18MP)
great battery power (360 shots)
manual focus not available
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S1R Vlogging features
Sony WX500 Vlogging features
32
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have external microphone socket
display isn't selfie friendly
more heavy than competitors (1,020g)
35
relatively wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (236 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
missing external microphone jack
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Panasonic S1R vs Sony WX500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S1R and Sony WX500
 Panasonic Lumix DC-S1RSony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2019-02-01 2015-04-14
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 864.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 47MP 18MP
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 8000 x 6000 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 51200 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Min boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 225 -
Lens
Lens support Leica L fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-6.4
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 30 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display diagonal 3.2 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 2,100 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 5,760 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
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 None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 1020 gr (2.25 pounds) 236 gr (0.52 pounds)
Physical dimensions 149 x 110 x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 100 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 26.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 3525 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 pictures 360 pictures
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage media - SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Storage slots Two 1
Pricing at launch $3,698 $348