Panasonic S5 vs Sony RX10 III

Lets look closer at the Panasonic S5 and Sony RX10 III, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the S5 (24MP) and the RX10 III (20MP) is relatively close but the S5 (Full frame) and RX10 III (1") have different sensor sizing.

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The S5 was revealed 4 years later than the RX10 III and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick summation of how the S5 matches up vs the RX10 III in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III. The full galleries are available at Panasonic S5 Gallery & Sony RX10 III Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic S5 comes with external measurements of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs) while the Sony RX10 III has sizing of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") along with a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic S5 and Sony RX10 III in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the S5 vs the RX10 III.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the S5 and RX10 III is 60 and 53 respectively.

Generally, it is very hard to picture the contrast in sensor measurements only by viewing specs. The graphic here should offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the S5 and RX10 III.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The S5 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic S5 will render more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher S5 provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.