Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony NEX-5

Here is a extensive overview of the Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony NEX-5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the ZS45 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is fairly close but the ZS45 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizing.

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The ZS45 was announced 4 years later than the NEX-5 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short overview of how the ZS45 scores versus the NEX-5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 & Sony Alpha NEX-5. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS45 Gallery & Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS45 comes with outer dimensions of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony NEX-5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the ZS45 against the NEX-5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS45 and NEX-5 is 91 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it can be difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizing simply by looking through a spec sheet. The visual underneath will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS45 and NEX-5.

As you can see, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The ZS45 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Panasonic ZS45 will result in more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern ZS45 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.