Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony HX300
66 Imaging
39 Features
32 Overall
36


63 Imaging
44 Features
51 Overall
46
Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony HX300 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-875mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
- 552g - 124 x 84 x 92mm
- Revealed January 2013
- Succeeded the Panasonic LZ20
- Successor is Panasonic LZ40
(Full Review)
- 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 80 - 12800
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
- 623g - 130 x 103 x 93mm
- Announced February 2013
- Superseded the Sony HX200V
- New Model is Sony HX400V

Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony HX300 Overview
Below, we will be reviewing the Panasonic LZ30 and Sony HX300, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the LZ30 (16MP) and the HX300 (20MP) is pretty close and they enjoy the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

The LZ30 was introduced very close to the HX300 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-like (bridge)).
Before delving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the LZ30 grades vs the HX300 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony HX300 Gallery
Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic LZ30 Gallery & Sony HX300 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ30 over the Sony HX300
LZ30 | HX300 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony HX300 over the Panasonic LZ30
HX300 | LZ30 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very precise focus | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+461k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic LZ30 and Sony HX300
LZ30 | HX300 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | January 2013 | ![]() | February 2013 | Same age |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither provides Touch friendly screen |
Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony HX300 Physical Comparison
If you're going to travel with your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic LZ30 provides external measurements of 124mm x 84mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Sony HX300 has measurements of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") and a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).
Look at the Panasonic LZ30 and Sony HX300 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the LZ30 and the HX300.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the LZ30 and HX300 is 66 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony HX300 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, its hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions just by looking through a spec sheet. The image here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the LZ30 and HX300.
As you can see, the 2 cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You can expect the Sony HX300 to provide you with more detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively.

Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony HX300 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony HX300 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Panasonic | Sony |
Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 |
Class | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2013-01-07 | 2013-02-20 |
Body design | SLR-like (bridge) | SLR-like (bridge) |
Sensor Information | ||
Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.16 x 4.62mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 28.5mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16MP | 20MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Maximum resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 5184 x 3888 |
Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | - | 9 |
Cross type focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 25-875mm (35.0x) | 24-1200mm (50.0x) |
Largest aperture | f/3.0-5.9 | f/2.8-6.3 |
Macro focusing range | 1cm | - |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display sizing | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 460k dot | 921k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display technology | TFT LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 15 seconds | 30 seconds |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting speed | 1.0 frames per second | 10.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 4.40 m | - |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro | - |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | - |
Mic input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
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 | 552 gr (1.22 lbs) | 623 gr (1.37 lbs) |
Dimensions | 124 x 84 x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") | 130 x 103 x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") |
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 | - |
Form of battery | AA | - |
Battery ID | 4 x AA | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 0r 10 sec) | - |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | - |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Cost at launch | $230 | $339 |