Panasonic FZ80 vs Panasonic ZS50

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic FZ80 versus Panasonic ZS50, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras and both are manufactured by Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the FZ80 (18MP) and ZS50 (12MP) but both cameras provide the identical sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The FZ80 was unveiled 2 years after the ZS50 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the FZ80 matches up vs the ZS50 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ80 Gallery & Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic FZ80 comes with outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS50 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FZ80 versus Panasonic ZS50 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the FZ80 vs the ZS50.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FZ80 and ZS50 is 63 and 90 respectively.

Normally, its difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reading specs. The picture below may provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the FZ80 and ZS50.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different MP. You can count on the Panasonic FZ80 to offer you more detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more recent FZ80 should have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.