Clicky

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1

Portability
92
Imaging
38
Features
46
Overall
41
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
 
Ricoh CX1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
32
Features
30
Overall
31

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ30
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS15
  • Later Model is Panasonic ZS25
Ricoh CX1
(Full Review)
  • 9MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28-200mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 180g - 102 x 58 x 28mm
  • Launched February 2009
Kodak's Tri-X Black-and-White Film Now 30% Cheaper

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 Overview

The following is a thorough overview of the Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Ricoh. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the ZS20 (14MP) and CX1 (9MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

TikTok Developing Photo App to Challenge Instagram's Dominance

The ZS20 was launched 3 years after the CX1 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the ZS20 scores vs the CX1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

AI-made Images of Food Appear More Delicious Than Real Photos
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Ricoh CX1

 ZS20 CX1 
LaunchedApril 2012February 2009Newer by 39 months
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Ricoh CX1 over the Panasonic ZS20

 CX1 ZS20 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Display resolution920k460kClearer display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS20 and Ricoh CX1

 ZS20 CX1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS20 offers physical measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Ricoh CX1 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the ZS20 vs the CX1.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS20 and CX1 is 92 and 93 respectively.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very difficult to see the gap between sensor dimensions just by checking specs. The pic below may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS20 and CX1.

All in all, both of those cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You should expect to see the Panasonic ZS20 to resolve more detail utilizing its extra 5MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The younger ZS20 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
C500 Mark II gets new Cinema RAW Light modes from Canon

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Portrait photography factors
Ricoh CX1 Portrait photography factors
30
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
25
focusing manually
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (9 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Photographer Triumphs in Lawsuit Over Creative Commons Image Rights

Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Street photography features
Ricoh CX1 Street photography features
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with touch to focus
lighter than competition (206g)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
55
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Leica to Release Innovative Hybrid Medium Format Camera in 2 Years

Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography factors
Ricoh CX1 Sports photography factors
47
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14MP)
provides tracking focus
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (260 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
26
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (9MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
Sony Japan Introduces 5G Transmitter for Alpha Cameras

Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography information
Ricoh CX1 Travel photography information
68
lighter than competition (206g)
comes with touch to focus
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
great reach (480mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (260 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
59
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
sensor resolution low (9MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
Europe Approves Revolutionary AI Legislation

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography info
Ricoh CX1 Landscape photography info
42
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (14MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
not so great battery pack (260 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
42
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution low (9MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Jaw-Dropping Space Capture Exposes Earth's Mesmerizing Golden Luminescence

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZS20
Vlogging with Ricoh CX1
34
reasonably wide (24mm)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (206g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing mic port
28
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
no external mic port
OM System OM-1 Set to Enhance Autofocus

Panasonic ZS20 vs Ricoh CX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS20 and Ricoh CX1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20Ricoh CX1
General Information
Brand Panasonic Ricoh
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Ricoh CX1
Alternative name Lumix DMC-TZ30 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2012-04-26 2009-02-19
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Smooth Imaging Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 9MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 3456 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 6400 1600
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 23 -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-480mm (20.0x) 28-200mm (7.1x)
Largest aperture f/3.3-6.4 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range 3cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 8s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.40 m 3.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
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), 320 x 240 (220 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD Motion JPEG
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 BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 206 grams (0.45 lbs) 180 grams (0.40 lbs)
Physical dimensions 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") 102 x 58 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 shots -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID - DB-70
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 10 or Custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $349 $299