Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony A99 II

The following is a in depth comparison of the Panasonic ZS5 versus Sony A99 II, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS5 (12MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the ZS5 (1/2.3") and A99 II (Full frame) come with totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ZS5 was brought out 7 years before the A99 II which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a thorough comparison, below is a simple summary of how the ZS5 matches up against the A99 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and Sony Alpha A99 II. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS5 Gallery and Sony A99 II Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS5 has physical measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) while the Sony A99 II has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") with a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS5 versus Sony A99 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the ZS5 and the A99 II.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS5 and A99 II is 92 and 57 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions purely by looking at technical specs. The pic below should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS5 and A99 II.

As you can tell, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The ZS5 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A99 II will give more detail having its extra 30 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ZS5 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.