Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony HX5
92 Imaging
36 Features
37 Overall
36


92 Imaging
33 Features
30 Overall
31
Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
- Launched June 2012
- Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ25
- Successor is Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 125 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
- Introduced June 2010

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony HX5 Overview
Its time to take a more detailed look at the Panasonic ZS15 versus Sony HX5, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the ZS15 (12MP) and the HX5 (10MP) is very comparable but the ZS15 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") come with totally different sensor sizing.

The ZS15 was manufactured 2 years after the HX5 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).
Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the ZS15 matches up vs the HX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony HX5 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS15 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Sony HX5
ZS15 | HX5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | June 2012 | ![]() | June 2010 | More modern by 25 months |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Panasonic ZS15
HX5 | ZS15 |
---|
Common features in the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony HX5
ZS15 | HX5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Lack of manual focus | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither features selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Absent Touch friendly display |
Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison
In case you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS15 enjoys physical dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).
Contrast the Panasonic ZS15 versus Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the ZS15 versus the HX5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS15 and HX5 is 92 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, its tough to see the difference in sensor sizes merely by checking out specs. The picture underneath might give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS15 and HX5.
As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS15 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic ZS15 will produce extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images much more aggressively. The more modern ZS15 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony HX5 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Panasonic | Sony |
Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 |
Also called | Lumix DMC-TZ25 | - |
Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Small Sensor Compact |
Launched | 2012-06-29 | 2010-06-16 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.4" |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.104 x 4.578mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 27.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12MP | 10MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 3456 x 2592 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 125 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Number of focus points | 23 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | 24-384mm (16.0x) | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
Maximum aperture | f/3.3-5.9 | f/3.5-5.5 |
Macro focus distance | 3cm | 5cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 460k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 15s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting rate | 2.0 frames per second | 10.0 frames per second |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 6.40 m | 3.80 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro | Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, AVCHD | AVCHD |
Microphone 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 | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 208 grams (0.46 pounds) | 200 grams (0.44 pounds) |
Dimensions | 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") | 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light score | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 260 photos | - |
Battery type | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | - | NP-BG1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Pricing at launch | $279 | $275 |