Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony RX1

Below is a thorough review of the Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony RX1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and RX1 (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The ZS15 was announced 7 months before the RX1 so they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the ZS15 matches up against the RX1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic ZS15 Gallery & Sony RX1 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS15 enjoys physical dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) whilst the Sony RX1 has measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") along with a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony RX1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the ZS15 vs the RX1.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS15 and RX1 is 92 and 79 respectively.

Often, its hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by checking out specs. The visual below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS15 and RX1.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS15 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony RX1 will produce greater detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older ZS15 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.