Panasonic S5 vs Sony HX30V

Lets look a bit more closely at the Panasonic S5 and Sony HX30V, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the S5 (24MP) and HX30V (18MP) and the S5 (Full frame) and HX30V (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

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The S5 was introduced 8 years later than the HX30V and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the S5 scores versus the HX30V when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic S5 Gallery and Sony HX30V Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic S5 has physical dimensions of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") along with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs) while the Sony HX30V has sizing of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic S5 and Sony HX30V in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the S5 against the HX30V.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S5 and HX30V is 60 and 90 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing only by going over a spec sheet. The photograph below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the S5 and HX30V.

Clearly, both of those cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The S5 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic S5 will offer you more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The fresher S5 should have a benefit in sensor technology.