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Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5R front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs

Panasonic ZR1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-ZX1
Sony NEX-5R
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Released August 2012
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-5N
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5T
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Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the ZR1 (12MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the ZR1 (1/2.3") and NEX-5R (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

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The ZR1 was launched 4 years before the NEX-5R which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the ZR1 grades vs the NEX-5R in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR1 over the Sony NEX-5R

 ZR1 NEX-5R 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5R over the Panasonic ZR1

 NEX-5R ZR1 
ReleasedAugust 2012July 2009Newer by 37 months
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic ZR1 and Sony NEX-5R

 ZR1 NEX-5R 
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic ZR1 comes with exterior dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5R has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the ZR1 vs the NEX-5R.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the ZR1 and NEX-5R is 94 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R Sensor Comparison

Often, it's difficult to picture the difference in sensor dimensions just by viewing specs. The picture below will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the ZR1 and NEX-5R.

All in all, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The ZR1 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-5R will render greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ZR1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-5R Portrait photography information
21
lack of manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
74
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Street photography advice
Sony NEX-5R Street photography advice
56
image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
80
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
offers touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Sports photography info
Sony NEX-5R Sports photography info
25
image stabilization (Optical)
low frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
68
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-5R as a Travel photography camera
57
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
missing Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
73
offers touch focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZR1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony NEX-5R Landscape photography highlights
32
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no manual control
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
missing Timelapse function
75
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZR1
Vlogging with Sony NEX-5R
28
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone socket
31
has touchscreen
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have mic port
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Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZR1 and Sony NEX-5R
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1Sony Alpha NEX-5R
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 Sony Alpha NEX-5R
Also Known as Lumix DMC-ZX1 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-07-27 2012-08-29
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine V Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 99
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-200mm (8.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Available lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.10 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 158 grams (0.35 lbs) 276 grams (0.61 lbs)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 78
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.1
DXO Low light score not tested 910
Other
Battery life - 330 shots
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $280 $750