Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS100

Below is a thorough overview of the Panasonic GF5 versus Panasonic ZS100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Panasonic. There is a huge difference among the resolutions of the GF5 (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the GF5 (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The GF5 was revealed 4 years prior to the ZS100 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a short overview of how the GF5 scores vs the ZS100 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The full galleries are available at Panasonic GF5 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic GF5 comes with external dimensions of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS100 has sizing of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic GF5 versus Panasonic ZS100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the GF5 versus the ZS100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the GF5 and ZS100 is 89 and 87 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to see the gap in sensor measurements just by researching technical specs. The graphic below might offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GF5 and ZS100.

As you can tell, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GF5 with its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS100 will render greater detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older GF5 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.