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Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980

Portability
95
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Panasonic TS30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.9-5.7) lens
  • 142g - 104 x 58 x 20mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-FT30
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Introduced February 2009
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Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the TS30 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The TS30 was released 5 years after the S980 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a concise summation of how the TS30 matches up against the S980 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic TS30 over the Sony S980

 TS30 S980 
IntroducedJanuary 2015February 2009More modern by 72 months

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Panasonic TS30

 S980 TS30 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing

Common features in the Panasonic TS30 and Sony S980

 TS30 S980 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size2.7"2.7"Same screen measurement
Screen resolution230k230kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic TS30 offers outside measurements of 104mm x 58mm x 20mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that moment. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the TS30 vs the S980.

Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TS30 and S980 is 95 and 94 respectively.

Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's hard to picture the difference in sensor sizes only by seeing a spec sheet. The picture here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the TS30 and S980.

As you can see, both the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Panasonic TS30 to provide greater detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The more recent TS30 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic TS30 Portrait photography details
Sony S980 Portrait photography details
35
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
27
has manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic TS30 Street photography advice
Sony S980 Street photography advice
67
image stabilization (Optical)
environment sealing
lighter than competition in class (142g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
47
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic TS30 Sports photography highlights
Sony S980 Sports photography highlights
42
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment sealing
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,300 seconds)
slow frames per second (1.3 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
17
slow frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic TS30 Travel photography factors
Sony S980 Travel photography factors
74
lighter than competition in class (142g)
environment sealing
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.9)
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic TS30
Landscape photography with Sony S980
43
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.9)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual exposure
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
27
has manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic TS30 Vlogging info
Sony S980 Vlogging info
33
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focus
lighter than competition in class (142 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.9)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone jack
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic socket
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Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic TS30 and Sony S980
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-FT30 -
Type Waterproof Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2015-01-06 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.9-5.7 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing distance 5cm 10cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8s 2s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1300s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 1.3 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.40 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, on, slow sync w/redeye reduction, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE 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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4 Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 142 gr (0.31 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 104 x 58 x 20mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
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 250 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $180 $300