Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99
92 Imaging
35 Features
37 Overall
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57 Imaging
68 Features
88 Overall
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 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
- Announced June 2012
- Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ25
- Successor is Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
- 24MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
- Launched December 2012
- Previous Model is Sony A900
- Renewed by Sony A99 II
Photography Glossary Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Overview
Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and A99 (24MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) come with totally different sensor size.
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD CardsThe ZS15 was revealed 5 months before the A99 and they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.
Before going through a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the ZS15 matches up against the A99 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 and Sony SLT-A99. The full galleries are available at Panasonic ZS15 Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Sony A99
| ZS15 | A99 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Panasonic ZS15
| A99 | ZS15 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | Very exact focus | |||
| Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating display | |
| Display resolution | 1229k | 460k | Sharper display (+769k dot) | |
| Selfie screen | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A99
| ZS15 | A99 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | June 2012 | December 2012 | Similar generation | |
| Display sizing | 3" | 3" | Equivalent display size | |
| Touch friendly display | No Touch friendly display |
Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison
If you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS15 offers external dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Sony A99 has dimensions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).
Analyze the Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the ZS15 against the A99.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS15 and A99 is 92 and 57 respectively.
Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it's tough to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by looking at a spec sheet. The pic here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS15 and A99.
Clearly, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS15 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A99 will give more detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively.
Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Specifications
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 | Sony SLT-A99 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Panasonic | Sony |
| Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 | Sony SLT-A99 |
| Alternative name | Lumix DMC-TZ25 | - |
| Class | Small Sensor Superzoom | Advanced DSLR |
| Announced | 2012-06-29 | 2012-12-12 |
| Body design | Compact | Mid-size SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor | - | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | Full frame |
| Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 35.8 x 23.8mm |
| Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 852.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 24 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Highest native ISO | 6400 | 25600 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW photos | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| Single AF | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| Center weighted AF | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Total focus points | 23 | 19 |
| Cross type focus points | - | 11 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Lens zoom range | 24-384mm (16.0x) | - |
| Maximum aperture | f/3.3-5.9 | - |
| Macro focusing range | 3cm | - |
| Available lenses | - | 143 |
| Crop factor | 5.8 | 1 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
| Screen size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of screen | 460k dot | 1,229k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Screen technology | - | TFT Xtra Fine color LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | - | 2,359k dot |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.71x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 15 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
| Continuous shooting speed | 2.0fps | 10.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | 6.40 m | no built-in flash |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash sync | - | 1/250 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | MPEG-4, AVCHD | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
| Mic jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| 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 seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 208 gr (0.46 lbs) | 812 gr (1.79 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") | 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | not tested | 89 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 25.0 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 14.0 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 1555 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 260 pictures | 500 pictures |
| Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC |
| Storage slots | 1 | Two |
| Launch price | $279 | $1,998 |