Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 II

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the ZS5 (12MP) and RX10 II (20MP) and the ZS5 (1/2.3") and RX10 II (1") posses different sensor size.

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The ZS5 was released 6 years prior to the RX10 II and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a quick summation of how the ZS5 matches up against the RX10 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS5 Gallery & Sony RX10 II Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS5 provides outside 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) whilst the Sony RX10 II has dimensions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the ZS5 and the RX10 II.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS5 and RX10 II is 92 and 58 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be tough to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing merely by going through a spec sheet. The photograph below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS5 and RX10 II.

Clearly, the 2 cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The ZS5 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX10 II will produce extra detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older ZS5 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.