Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony RX100 V

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic ZS20 and Sony RX100 V, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the ZS20 (14MP) and RX100 V (20MP) and the ZS20 (1/2.3") and RX100 V (1") offer different sensor measurements.

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The ZS20 was released 5 years earlier than the RX100 V and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 V being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a quick summation of how the ZS20 grades vs the RX100 V with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS20 Gallery and Sony RX100 V Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS20 offers outer measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Sony RX100 V has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS20 and Sony RX100 V in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the ZS20 versus the RX100 V.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS20 and RX100 V is 92 and 89 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to imagine the difference in sensor measurements just by researching a spec sheet. The graphic below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS20 and RX100 V.

As you can see, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS20 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh tougher and the Sony RX100 V will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively. The older ZS20 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.