Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony RX10 III

Its time to take a deeper look at the Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony RX10 III, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and RX10 III (20MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and RX10 III (1") feature totally different sensor size.

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The ZS15 was unveiled 4 years before the RX10 III which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 III being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the ZS15 grades against the RX10 III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS15 Gallery & Sony RX10 III Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS15 provides physical measurements 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 RX10 III has proportions of 133mm x 94mm x 127mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.0") along with a weight of 1051 grams (2.32 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony RX10 III in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the ZS15 vs the RX10 III.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the ZS15 and RX10 III is 92 and 53 respectively.

Generally, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizes simply by viewing a spec sheet. The image below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS15 and RX10 III.

As you can see, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS15 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony RX10 III will result in greater detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ZS15 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.