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Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V

Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V front
Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
80
Overall
63

Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V Key Specs

Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2013
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Superseded the Panasonic ZS25
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS35
Sony RX100 V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced October 2016
  • Old Model is Sony RX100 IV
  • Newer Model is Sony RX100 VI
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Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the ZS30 (18MP) and the RX100 V (20MP) is pretty close but the ZS30 (1/2.3") and RX100 V (1") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS30 was launched 4 years before the RX100 V which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 V being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick summation of how the ZS30 scores versus the RX100 V with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Sony RX100 V

 ZS30 RX100 V 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 V over the Panasonic ZS30

 RX100 V ZS30 
AnnouncedOctober 2016January 2013More modern by 45 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1229k920kSharper screen (+309k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Panasonic ZS30 and Sony RX100 V

 ZS30 RX100 V 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing

Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS30 has external measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs) while the Sony RX100 V has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") with a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the ZS30 compared to the RX100 V.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS30 and RX100 V is 92 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V Sensor Comparison

Often, it is tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizes simply by viewing a spec sheet. The image below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS30 and RX100 V.

Clearly, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS30 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony RX100 V will provide you with greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged ZS30 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 V as a Portrait photography camera
33
MP count good (18 megapixels)
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
66
you can focus manually
high flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Street photography information
Sony RX100 V Street photography information
66
image stabilization (Optical)
supports focus by touch
lighter than competition in class (198 grams)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
85
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
saves RAW formats
lighter than others in class (299g)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 V as a Sports photography camera
46
incredible zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18MP)
supports tracking autofocus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,200s)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery power (260 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
70
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
high fps (24.0 fps)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect AF
not so great battery (220 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography information
Sony RX100 V Travel photography information
69
lighter than competition in class (198g)
supports focus by touch
MP count good (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
terrible battery power (260 shots)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
80
lighter than others in class (299 grams)
MP count good (20MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
quite wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
not so great battery (220 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS30 Landscape photography highlights
Sony RX100 V Landscape photography highlights
44
quite wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18MP)
manual focus not available
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
terrible battery power (260 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
70
you can focus manually
quite wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (1")
saves RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
not so great battery (220 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZS30
Vlogging with Sony RX100 V
35
quite wide (24mm)
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (198g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
doesn't have external mic jack
81
quite wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than others in class (299 grams)
missing external microphone port
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Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony RX100 V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS30 and Sony RX100 V
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V
Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ40 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2013-01-07 2016-10-06
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4896 x 3672 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 23 315
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-480mm (20.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Largest aperture f/3.3-6.4 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 15 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1200 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 24.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.40 m 10.20 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro -
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 198 gr (0.44 lbs) 299 gr (0.66 lbs)
Dimensions 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 70
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 586
Other
Battery life 260 shots 220 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $250 $998