Panasonic S5 vs Sony HX1

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic S5 and Sony HX1, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the S5 (24MP) and HX1 (9MP) and the S5 (Full frame) and HX1 (1/2.4") boast different sensor size.

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The S5 was manufactured 11 years later than the HX1 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the S5 matches up versus the HX1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic S5 Gallery & Sony HX1 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic S5 offers physical dimensions of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") having a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs) and the Sony HX1 has measurements of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") along with a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic S5 and Sony HX1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the S5 against the HX1.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the S5 and HX1 is 60 and 67 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor measurements just by viewing a spec sheet. The visual below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the S5 and HX1.

Clearly, both of those cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The S5 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic S5 will result in extra detail due to its extra 15 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The younger S5 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.