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Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V

Portability
92
Imaging
38
Features
46
Overall
41
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V front
Portability
62
Imaging
45
Features
60
Overall
51

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V Key Specs

Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ30
  • Superseded the Panasonic ZS15
  • Newer Model is Panasonic ZS25
Sony HX400V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 660g - 130 x 93 x 103mm
  • Revealed February 2014
  • Superseded the Sony HX300
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Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V Overview

Let's look much closer at the Panasonic ZS20 and Sony HX400V, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the ZS20 (14MP) and HX400V (20MP) but both cameras boast the identical sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The ZS20 was released 21 months prior to the HX400V which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX400V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the ZS20 matches up vs the HX400V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Sony HX400V

 ZS20 HX400V 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony HX400V over the Panasonic ZS20

 HX400V ZS20 
RevealedFebruary 2014April 2012Fresher by 21 months
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS20 and Sony HX400V

 ZS20 HX400V 
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V Physical Comparison

In case you're going to carry your camera, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS20 provides outside dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Sony HX400V has proportions of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic ZS20 and Sony HX400V in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the ZS20 versus the HX400V.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS20 and HX400V is 92 and 62 respectively.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing simply by reviewing specs. The photograph below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS20 and HX400V.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different MP. You can expect the Sony HX400V to offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older ZS20 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Portrait photography features
Sony HX400V Portrait photography features
30
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
external flash not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
51
has manual focus
good MP (20MP)
supports face detection autofocus
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Street photography advice
Sony HX400V Street photography advice
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers touch focus
lighter than competition in class (206 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
50
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
heavier than average in class (660g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography features
Sony HX400V Sports photography features
47
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
provides tracking focus
small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery (260 CIPA)
no phase detect AF
55
amazing zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
supports tracking autofocus
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography advice
Sony HX400V Travel photography advice
68
lighter than competition in class (206g)
offers touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (24mm)
long zoom (480mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
low battery (260 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
53
good MP (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (24mm)
very long zoom (1200mm)
no Time Lapse function
heavier than average in class (660 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony HX400V as a Landscape photography camera
42
reasonably wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
low battery (260 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
49
has manual focus
decently wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZS20
Vlogging with Sony HX400V
34
reasonably wide (24mm)
touch screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (206g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic socket
29
decently wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external mic socket
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
heavier than average in class (660 grams)
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Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony HX400V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS20 and Sony HX400V
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V
Alternative name Lumix DMC-TZ30 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2012-04-26 2014-02-12
Physical type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-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 14 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4320 x 3240 5184 x 3888
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-480mm (20.0x) 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.3-6.4 f/2.8-6.3
Macro focus distance 3cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.40 m 8.50 m (ISO Auto)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Flash Off / Autoflash / Fill-flash / Slow Sync. / Advanced Flash / Rear Sync. / Wireless (with optional compliant flash)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 206 gr (0.45 lbs) 660 gr (1.46 lbs)
Physical dimensions 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") 130 x 93 x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 shots 300 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $349 $448