Panasonic S5 vs Panasonic ZS7

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic S5 and Panasonic ZS7, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are offered by Panasonic. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the S5 (24MP) and ZS7 (12MP) and the S5 (Full frame) and ZS7 (1/2.3") have different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The S5 was announced 9 years after the ZS7 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise summary of how the S5 scores versus the ZS7 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic S5 Gallery & Panasonic ZS7 Gallery.

If you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic S5 comes with exterior measurements of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS7 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic S5 and Panasonic ZS7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the S5 compared to the ZS7.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the S5 and ZS7 is 60 and 91 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to picture the difference in sensor dimensions merely by researching specifications. The picture below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the S5 and ZS7.

Plainly, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The S5 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic S5 will render extra detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more recent S5 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.