Panasonic ZS80 vs Sony RX10 II

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Panasonic ZS80 and Sony RX10 II, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the ZS80 (20MP) and the RX10 II (20MP) is very comparable but the ZS80 (1/2.3") and RX10 II (1") provide totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ZS80 was brought out 2 years after the RX10 II which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the ZS80 grades against the RX10 II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS80 Gallery and Sony RX10 II Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS80 provides physical dimensions of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony RX10 II has measurements of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS80 and Sony RX10 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the ZS80 and the RX10 II.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the ZS80 and RX10 II is 86 and 58 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The image below should give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS80 and RX10 II.

Clearly, both cameras have the same MP but not the same sensor sizes. The ZS80 provides the smaller sensor which will make getting shallower depth of field tougher. The fresher ZS80 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.