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Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10

Portability
68
Imaging
37
Features
40
Overall
38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61

Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 Key Specs

Panasonic FZ40
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
  • 494g - 120 x 80 x 92mm
  • Launched July 2010
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-FZ45
Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Launched March 2014
  • Successor is Sony RX10 II
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Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the FZ40 (14MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the FZ40 (1/2.3") and RX10 (1") boast different sensor sizes.

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The FZ40 was unveiled 4 years before the RX10 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (SLR-like (bridge)).

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the FZ40 scores vs the RX10 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ40 over the Sony RX10

 FZ40 RX10 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Panasonic FZ40

 RX10 FZ40 
LaunchedMarch 2014July 2010Fresher by 44 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1290k230kSharper screen (+1060k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FZ40 and Sony RX10

 FZ40 RX10 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic FZ40 comes with physical measurements of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") and a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 has specifications of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") and a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the FZ40 versus the RX10.

Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FZ40 and RX10 is 68 and 58 respectively.

Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizing just by seeing technical specs. The visual below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FZ40 and RX10.

As you have seen, the two cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FZ40 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony RX10 will show more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older FZ40 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FZ40 Portrait photography features
Sony RX10 Portrait photography features
46
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
saves RAW formats
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
70
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
has face detection focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FZ40 Street photography details
Sony RX10 Street photography details
51
image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
heavier than competitors in class (494 grams)
72
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW files
environment proofing
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FZ40 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX10 as a Sports photography camera
43
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
slow frames per second (2.0 fps)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
environment proofing
great battery pack (420 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FZ40 Travel photography advice
Sony RX10 Travel photography advice
54
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
heavier than competitors in class (494 grams)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
58
great battery pack (420 CIPA)
environment proofing
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FZ40 Landscape photography information
Sony RX10 Landscape photography information
51
focusing manually
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
saves RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of Time Lapse recording
63
manual focus
decently wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
supports RAW files
environment proofing
great battery pack (420 per charge)
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FZ40
Vlogging with Sony RX10
23
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic socket
heavier than competitors in class (494g)
30
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone support
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony RX10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FZ40 and Sony RX10
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
Also called as Lumix DMC-FZ45 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2010-07-21 2014-03-20
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine HD II Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4320 x 3240 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 125
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 25
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-200mm (8.3x)
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.2 f/2.8
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Focal length multiplier 5.9 2.7
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dots 1,290k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - WhiteMagic
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/3200 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 9.50 m 10.20 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 494 gr (1.09 pounds) 813 gr (1.79 pounds)
Physical dimensions 120 x 80 x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 69
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.6
DXO Low light score not tested 474
Other
Battery life - 420 photos
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 pictures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $420 $698