Panasonic S5 vs Sony W380

Its time to take a deeper look at the Panasonic S5 and Sony W380, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the S5 (24MP) and W380 (14MP) and the S5 (Full frame) and W380 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The S5 was released 10 years after the W380 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W380 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the S5 grades vs the W380 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W380. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic S5 Gallery and Sony W380 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic S5 has external measurements of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") and a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs) and the Sony W380 has measurements of 91mm x 52mm x 20mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic S5 and Sony W380 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the S5 against the W380.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S5 and W380 is 60 and 96 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The image below will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the S5 and W380.

Clearly, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The S5 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic S5 will produce more detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more recent S5 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.