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Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
54
Overall
50
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
30
Overall
33

Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 Key Specs

Panasonic GF5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 267g - 108 x 67 x 37mm
  • Released April 2012
  • Superseded the Panasonic GF3
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GF6
Panasonic ZS5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ8
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Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Panasonic. The resolution of the GF5 (12MP) and the ZS5 (12MP) is fairly close but the GF5 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The GF5 was announced 22 months after the ZS5 making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief view of how the GF5 matches up against the ZS5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GF5 over the Panasonic ZS5

 GF5 ZS5 
IntroducedApril 2012June 2010More modern by 22 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kSharper display (+690k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Panasonic GF5

 ZS5 GF5 

Common features in the Panasonic GF5 and Panasonic ZS5

 GF5 ZS5 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF5 offers external measurements of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS5 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

See the Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the GF5 and the ZS5.

Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GF5 and ZS5 is 89 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to envision the difference in sensor sizes merely by researching specs. The pic here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GF5 and ZS5.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras provide the same megapixel count but not the same sensor sizes. The GF5 uses the larger sensor which will make achieving bokeh easier. The more modern GF5 will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GF5 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic ZS5 Portrait photography advice
55
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
can't use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
27
offers face detect focus
manual focus not available
no external flash support
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GF5 Street photography details
Panasonic ZS5 Street photography details
70
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
provides touch focus
no moving screen
no image stabilization
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (214g)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GF5 Sports photography advice
Panasonic ZS5 Sports photography advice
40
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
slow fps (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
no phase detect autofocus
31
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers tracking focus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,300 seconds)
slow fps (2.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GF5
Travel photography with Panasonic ZS5
61
provides touch focus
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
63
lighter than competitors in class (214g)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (300mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic GF5
Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS5
59
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse mode
33
rather wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inches)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF5 Vlogging factors
Panasonic ZS5 Vlogging factors
32
touch screen
comes with face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
does not have external mic support
31
rather wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focus
lighter than competitors in class (214 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone support
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Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GF5 and Panasonic ZS5
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Panasonic
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ8
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-04-05 2010-06-16
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine FHD Venus Engine HD II
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 160 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 920k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1300s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.30 m 5.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 267 grams (0.59 pounds) 214 grams (0.47 pounds)
Physical dimensions 108 x 67 x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 50 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.0 not tested
DXO Low light score 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $600 $300