Panasonic LX5 vs Panasonic ZS20

Here, we will be comparing the Panasonic LX5 and Panasonic ZS20, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are designed by Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the LX5 (10MP) and ZS20 (14MP) and the LX5 (1/1.63") and ZS20 (1/2.3") offer different sensor measurements.

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The LX5 was unveiled 4 months earlier than the ZS20 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the LX5 grades versus the ZS20 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. The full galleries are available at Panasonic LX5 Gallery & Panasonic ZS20 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic LX5 features physical measurements of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS20 has sizing of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic LX5 and Panasonic ZS20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the LX5 compared to the ZS20.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the LX5 and ZS20 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements purely by reviewing technical specs. The photograph below will provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the LX5 and ZS20.

As you can tell, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The LX5 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS20 will offer more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures way more aggressively.