Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980
95 Imaging
40 Features
31 Overall
36
94 Imaging
34 Features
17 Overall
27
Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Key Specs
(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
(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
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images 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 GlossaryThe 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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Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic TS30 Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic TS30 over the Sony S980
| TS30 | S980 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2015 | February 2009 | More 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 type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
| Screen size | 2.7" | 2.7" | Same screen measurement | |
| Screen resolution | 230k | 230k | Same 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.
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.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TS30 and S980 is 95 and 94 respectively.
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 Screen and ViewFinder
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Panasonic TS30 vs Sony S980 Specifications
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30 | Sony 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 |