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Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10

Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
30
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61

Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 214g - 103 x 60 x 32mm
  • Released June 2010
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ8
Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Revealed March 2014
  • New Model is Sony RX10 II
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Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 Overview

Below, we will be comparing the Panasonic ZS5 and Sony RX10, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS5 (12MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the ZS5 (1/2.3") and RX10 (1") possess different sensor sizes.

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The ZS5 was revealed 4 years prior to the RX10 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving through a full comparison, below is a simple overview of how the ZS5 scores vs the RX10 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS5 over the Sony RX10

 ZS5 RX10 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Panasonic ZS5

 RX10 ZS5 
RevealedMarch 2014June 2010More modern by 45 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1290k230kCrisper screen (+1060k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS5 and Sony RX10

 ZS5 RX10 
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS5 features external dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) and the Sony RX10 has proportions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") and a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS5 and Sony RX10 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the ZS5 vs the RX10.

Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS5 and RX10 is 92 and 58 respectively.

Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizes only by looking at technical specs. The pic underneath may give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS5 and RX10.

As you can tell, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS5 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting bokeh trickier and the Sony RX10 will give you extra detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more aged ZS5 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS5 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX10 Portrait photography factors
27
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
no external flash support
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
70
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
includes face detection focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS5 Street photography information
Sony RX10 Street photography information
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (214g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
72
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
weather proof
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic ZS5
Sports photography with Sony RX10
31
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking focus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,300 seconds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
67
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
weather proof
better than average battery (420 per charge)
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS5 Travel photography information
Sony RX10 Travel photography information
63
lighter than competition (214 grams)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
no Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
58
better than average battery (420 CIPA)
weather proof
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't have selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX10 as a Landscape photography camera
33
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
no Time Lapse function
63
manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
weather proof
better than average battery (420 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS5 Vlogging factors
Sony RX10 Vlogging factors
31
rather wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competition (214 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic support
30
relatively wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic port
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS5 and Sony RX10
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ8 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Superzoom
Released 2010-06-16 2014-03-20
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine HD II Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 80 125
RAW files
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-300mm (12.0x) 24-200mm (8.3x)
Highest aperture f/3.3-4.9 f/2.8
Macro focus distance 3cm -
Crop factor 5.9 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230k dot 1,290k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - WhiteMagic
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1300s 1/3200s
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.30 m 10.20 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 214 gr (0.47 lbs) 813 gr (1.79 lbs)
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 69
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.6
DXO Low light score not tested 474
Other
Battery life - 420 pictures
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $300 $698