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Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99

Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
37
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
68
Features
88
Overall
76

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS15
(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
Sony A99
(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.

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The 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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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 typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1229k460kSharper display (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A99

 ZS15 A99 
LaunchedJune 2012December 2012Similar generation
Display sizing3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS15 and A99 is 92 and 57 respectively.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Portrait photography advice
Sony A99 Portrait photography advice
21
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
80
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 as a Street photography camera
Sony A99 as a Street photography camera
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (208g)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
75
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
very good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography details
Sony A99 Sports photography details
36
great zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (260 per charge)
no phase detect AF
77
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
low battery power (500 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A99 as a Travel photography camera
61
lighter than average (208g)
has built in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
long zoom (384mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (260 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
60
weather proof
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
selfie friendly display
no Time Lapse mode
low battery power (500 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS15
Landscape photography with Sony A99
36
relatively wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
not so great battery pack (260 shots)
lack of Time Lapse recording
74
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
has double storage slots
low battery power (500 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Vlogging features
Sony A99 Vlogging features
33
relatively wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (208 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not have selfie friendly display
lack of external mic port
76
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have mic port
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A99
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15Sony 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