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Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15

Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
62
Overall
51
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36

Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 Key Specs

Panasonic FZ80
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 20-1200mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 616g - 130 x 94 x 119mm
  • Revealed January 2017
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-FZ82
Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Announced June 2012
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • New Model is Panasonic ZS20
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Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic FZ80 and Panasonic ZS15, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras and they are both built by Panasonic. There is a large difference between the sensor resolutions of the FZ80 (18MP) and ZS15 (12MP) but both cameras posses the identical sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The FZ80 was brought out 4 years after the ZS15 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the FZ80 matches up against the ZS15 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ80 over the Panasonic ZS15

 FZ80 ZS15 
AnnouncedJanuary 2017June 2012Newer by 55 months
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display resolution1040k460kSharper display (+580k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Panasonic FZ80

 ZS15 FZ80 

Common features in the Panasonic FZ80 and Panasonic ZS15

 FZ80 ZS15 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic FZ80 has outer dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS15 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FZ80 and Panasonic ZS15 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at the time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the FZ80 versus the ZS15.

Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the FZ80 and ZS15 is 63 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very difficult to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions simply by going over technical specs. The image underneath may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the FZ80 and ZS15.

As you can tell, each of these cameras come with the identical sensor size but different MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic FZ80 to offer you more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more modern FZ80 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Portrait photography details
Panasonic ZS15 Portrait photography details
58
focusing manually
decent MP (18 megapixels)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
small sensor (1/2.3")
21
lack of manual focus
external flash not possible
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Street photography info
Panasonic ZS15 Street photography info
54
built in image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch to focus
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
more heavy than competition in class (616 grams)
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (208 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Sports photography advice
Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography advice
57
amazing zoom range (20-1200mm 60.0 x zoom)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
supports tracking focus
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
36
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking autofocus
low frames per second (2.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
low battery power (260 CIPA)
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Travel photography info
Panasonic ZS15 Travel photography info
59
supports touch to focus
decent MP (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (20mm)
long reach (1200mm)
more heavy than competition in class (616 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
61
lighter than competition (208g)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
very long reach (384mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery power (260 shots)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic ZS15 Landscape photography highlights
57
focusing manually
reasonably wide (20mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
delivers RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
small sensor (1/2.3")
37
quite wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
low battery power (260 per charge)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FZ80 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic ZS15 Vlogging highlights
28
reasonably wide (20mm)
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing microphone support
more heavy than competition in class (616 grams)
33
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (208g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone jack
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Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FZ80 and Panasonic ZS15
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Also Known as Lumix DMC-FZ82 Lumix DMC-TZ25
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2017-01-04 2012-06-29
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4896 x 3672 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 49 23
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 20-1200mm (60.0x) 24-384mm (16.0x)
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,166 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 15 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 14.10 m (at Auto ISO) 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, 1st Curtain Sync, 2nd Curtain Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 616 grams (1.36 lbs) 208 grams (0.46 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 330 images 260 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 images x 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $399 $279