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Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99

Portability
71
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99 front
Portability
91
Imaging
45
Features
67
Overall
53

Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 Key Specs

Panasonic LZ20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-525mm (F3.1-5.8) lens
  • 499g - 120 x 76 x 80mm
  • Introduced July 2012
  • Updated by Panasonic LZ30
Sony HX99
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3-inch Sensor
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 242g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Launched September 2018
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Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Panasonic LZ20 versus Sony HX99, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the LZ20 (16MP) and the HX99 (18MP) is relatively well matched but the LZ20 (1/2.3") and HX99 (1/2.3-inch) feature different sensor measurements.

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The LZ20 was revealed 7 years earlier than the HX99 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic LZ20 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony HX99 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the LZ20 grades against the HX99 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ20 over the Sony HX99

 LZ20 HX99 

Reasons to pick Sony HX99 over the Panasonic LZ20

 HX99 LZ20 
LaunchedSeptember 2018July 2012More modern by 74 months
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic LZ20 and Sony HX99

 LZ20 HX99 
Screen dimension3"3.00"Identical screen measurements

Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to carry around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic LZ20 offers outside measurements of 120mm x 76mm x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Sony HX99 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 242 grams (0.53 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic LZ20 versus Sony HX99 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the LZ20 compared to the HX99.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the LZ20 and HX99 is 71 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizes simply by looking at technical specs. The image here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the LZ20 and HX99.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The LZ20 using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony HX99 will give you extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged LZ20 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 sensor size comparison

Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Portrait photography information
Sony HX99 Portrait photography information
36
MP count decent (16MP)
features face detect focusing
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
53
focusing manually
good resolution (18 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3-inch)
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Street photography details
Sony HX99 Street photography details
45
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
heavier than competition in class (499 grams)
77
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization
exports RAW formats
lighter than average (242g)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3-inch)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Sports photography factors
Sony HX99 Sports photography factors
47
excellent zoom range (25-525mm 21.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
better than average battery pack (380 per charge)
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
58
excellent zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization
good resolution (18 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (360 CIPA)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3-inch)
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Travel photography details
Sony HX99 Travel photography details
58
better than average battery pack (380 shots)
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long reach (525mm)
no Time Lapse function
heavier than competition in class (499 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
76
better than average battery power (360 CIPA)
lighter than average (242g)
good resolution (18 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
quite wide (24mm)
long reach (720mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Landscape photography info
Sony HX99 Landscape photography info
45
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
better than average battery pack (380 shots)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
no Time Lapse function
58
focusing manually
quite wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3.00 inches)
image stabilization
good resolution (18MP)
exports RAW formats
better than average battery power (360 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3-inch)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX99 as a Vlogging camera
25
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focusing
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic support
heavier than competition in class (499g)
76
quite wide (24mm)
selfie friendly display
touchscreen
image stabilization
includes face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than average (242 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
lack of external mic jack
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Panasonic LZ20 vs Sony HX99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic LZ20 and Sony HX99
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-07-18 2018-09-01
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3-inch
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Highest boosted ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-525mm (21.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.1-5.8 f/3.5-6.4
Macro focusing distance 2cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3.00 inch
Resolution of display 460k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT Screen LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 638k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.5x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.80 m 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720p ( 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p, 120p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video data format Motion JPEG AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 499g (1.10 pounds) 242g (0.53 pounds)
Dimensions 120 x 76 x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 380 photos 360 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $250 $469