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Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II

Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
46
Overall
40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
76
Features
92
Overall
82

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II 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
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS15
  • New Model is Panasonic ZS25
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Released September 2016
  • Older Model is Sony A99
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Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic ZS20 versus Sony A99 II, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the ZS20 (14MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the ZS20 (1/2.3") and A99 II (Full frame) come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The ZS20 was unveiled 5 years prior to the A99 II and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the ZS20 grades against the A99 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Sony A99 II

 ZS20 A99 II 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Panasonic ZS20

 A99 II ZS20 
ReleasedSeptember 2016April 2012Fresher by 53 months
Manually focus More exact focus
Screen typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k460kSharper screen (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Panasonic ZS20 and Sony A99 II

 ZS20 A99 II 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS20 has exterior dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Sony A99 II has proportions of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") with a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS20 versus Sony A99 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the ZS20 vs the A99 II.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the ZS20 and A99 II is 92 and 57 respectively.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing simply by viewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS20 and A99 II.

Clearly, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The ZS20 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A99 II will render greater detail having an extra 28MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The older ZS20 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A99 II as a Portrait photography camera
30
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
85
focusing manually
sensor resolution is excellent (42MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Street photography features
Sony A99 II Street photography features
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with touch to focus
lighter than others in class (206 grams)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
76
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography advice
Sony A99 II Sports photography advice
47
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (260 per charge)
has no phase detect autofocus
81
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is excellent (42 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
low battery power (490 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography information
Sony A99 II Travel photography information
68
lighter than others in class (206 grams)
comes with touch to focus
megapixel count good (14MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
long zoom (480mm)
does not have Timelapse function
terrible battery life (260 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
70
environment sealing
connects via bluetooth
sensor resolution is excellent (42MP)
selfie friendly screen
low battery power (490 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography information
Sony A99 II Landscape photography information
42
relatively wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
terrible battery life (260 shots)
does not have Timelapse function
81
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is excellent (42MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
has dual storage slots
low battery power (490 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Vlogging advice
Sony A99 II Vlogging advice
34
relatively wide (24mm)
touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others in class (206g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone jack
78
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focus
high video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with mic jack
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Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS20 and Sony A99 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20Sony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Sony Alpha A99 II
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ30 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2012-04-26 2016-09-19
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 42 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 7952 x 5304
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Max boosted ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 23 399
Cross type focus points - 79
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 24-480mm (20.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.3-6.4 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully articulated
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.40 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
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), 320 x 240 (220 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 206g (0.45 lbs) 849g (1.87 lbs)
Dimensions 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 2317
Other
Battery life 260 photos 490 photos
Battery format Battery Pack NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Storage slots Single Dual
Launch price $349 $3,198