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Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5

Portability
59
Imaging
37
Features
73
Overall
51
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 front
Portability
95
Imaging
38
Features
34
Overall
36

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 Key Specs

Panasonic FZ300
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1/16000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 25-600mm (F2.8) lens
  • 691g - 132 x 92 x 117mm
  • Revealed July 2015
  • Succeeded the Panasonic FZ200
Panasonic SZ5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 104 x 58 x 21mm
  • Announced July 2012
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Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 Overview

Here is a in depth analysis of the Panasonic FZ300 versus Panasonic SZ5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both offered by Panasonic. The resolution of the FZ300 (12MP) and the SZ5 (14MP) is pretty well matched and they feature the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The FZ300 was released 3 years later than the SZ5 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FZ300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short view of how the FZ300 grades vs the SZ5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ300 over the Panasonic SZ5

 FZ300 SZ5 
AnnouncedJuly 2015July 2012Fresher by 37 months
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ5 over the Panasonic FZ300

 SZ5 FZ300 

Common features in the Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic SZ5

 FZ300 SZ5 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera often, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FZ300 provides outside dimensions of 132mm x 92mm x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6") accompanied by a weight of 691 grams (1.52 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ5 has measurements of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FZ300 versus Panasonic SZ5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the FZ300 vs the SZ5.

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FZ300 and SZ5 is 59 and 95 respectively.

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it can be tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizing just by checking specs. The visual here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the FZ300 and SZ5.

All in all, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Panasonic SZ5 to resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs far more aggressively. The newer FZ300 will have an edge in sensor innovation.

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FZ300 Portrait photography features
Panasonic SZ5 Portrait photography features
46
has manual focus
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
34
good resolution (14 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FZ300
Street photography with Panasonic SZ5
59
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch focus
environment proofing
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
more heavy than competition (691 grams)
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (136g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FZ300 Sports photography advice
Panasonic SZ5 Sports photography advice
51
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
maximum shutter speed is high (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
great battery life (380 shots)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14MP)
features tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FZ300 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic SZ5 Travel photography highlights
59
great battery life (380 shots)
environment proofing
includes touch focus
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
pretty wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
more heavy than competition (691 grams)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
70
lighter than competition (136 grams)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
great reach (250mm)
no Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FZ300 Landscape photography information
Panasonic SZ5 Landscape photography information
52
has manual focus
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
great battery life (380 shots)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
42
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual exposure
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
no Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FZ300 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic SZ5 as a Vlogging camera
62
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone port
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
more heavy than competition (691g)
32
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
lighter than competition (136 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone support
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Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic SZ5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic SZ5
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2015-07-16 2012-07-18
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 49 23
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8 f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT Screen LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/16000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate 12.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 8.80 m (at Auto ISO) 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720p ( 30,25 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 691 gr (1.52 lbs) 136 gr (0.30 lbs)
Dimensions 132 x 92 x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6") 104 x 58 x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 380 images 250 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $598 $195