Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS70

Its time to take a deeper look at the Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS70, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the GF5 (12MP) and ZS70 (20MP) and the GF5 (Four Thirds) and ZS70 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizing.

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The GF5 was revealed 6 years prior to the ZS70 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS70 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the GF5 grades versus the ZS70 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS70. The full galleries are available at Panasonic GF5 Gallery and Panasonic ZS70 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GF5 comes with physical measurements of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS70 has measurements of 112mm x 67mm x 41mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.6") having a weight of 322 grams (0.71 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GF5 vs Panasonic ZS70 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view dimensions comparison of the GF5 against the ZS70.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the GF5 and ZS70 is 89 and 87 respectively.

Often, it is hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizing purely by reviewing technical specs. The photograph here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GF5 and ZS70.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The GF5 with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS70 will offer extra detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The older GF5 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.