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Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
55
Overall
46
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 front
Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
30
Overall
32

Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Revealed January 2015
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic ZS40
  • Updated by Panasonic ZS50
Sony HX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
  • Revealed June 2010
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Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 Overview

Below is a detailed comparison of the Panasonic ZS45 and Sony HX5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the ZS45 (16MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the ZS45 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The ZS45 was brought out 4 years later than the HX5 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the ZS45 scores versus the HX5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Sony HX5

 ZS45 HX5 
RevealedJanuary 2015June 2010More recent by 56 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k230kClearer display (+810k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Panasonic ZS45

 HX5 ZS45 

Common features in the Panasonic ZS45 and Sony HX5

 ZS45 HX5 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch display Neither contains Touch display

Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS45 has got external measurements of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs) while the Sony HX5 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS45 and Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the ZS45 and the HX5.

Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS45 and HX5 is 91 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements just by looking through specifications. The visual here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS45 and HX5.

Plainly, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS45 due to its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic ZS45 will provide you with more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more recent ZS45 provides an edge in sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 Portrait photography advice
Sony HX5 Portrait photography advice
37
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
20
no manual focus
no external flash support
low resolution (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.4")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 Street photography information
Sony HX5 Street photography information
69
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (249g)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
55
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.4")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 Sports photography advice
Sony HX5 Sports photography advice
56
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.4")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 Travel photography factors
Sony HX5 Travel photography factors
71
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
lighter than others (249g)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
does not have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
60
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
very long reach (250mm)
no Timelapse mode
low resolution (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 Landscape photography info
Sony HX5 Landscape photography info
48
pretty wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
great battery pack (350 CIPA)
manual focus not available
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
37
decently wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.4")
lacks RAW files
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX5 as a Vlogging camera
34
pretty wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others (249g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
doesn't have mic socket
31
decently wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
no external microphone socket
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Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony HX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS45 and Sony HX5
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
Also called Lumix DMC-TZ57 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2015-01-06 2010-06-16
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.4"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 3456 x 2592
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 21 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-480mm (20.0x) 25-250mm (10.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.3-6.4 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.00 m 3.80 m
Flash options Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
Hot shoe
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 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4 AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 249g (0.55 lb) 200g (0.44 lb)
Dimensions 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 pictures -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID - NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $300 $275