Panasonic ZS5 vs Sony RX10 IV

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Panasonic ZS5 and Sony RX10 IV, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS5 (12MP) and RX10 IV (20MP) and the ZS5 (1/2.3") and RX10 IV (1") use different sensor size.

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The ZS5 was introduced 8 years before the RX10 IV which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a short introduction of how the ZS5 scores versus the RX10 IV in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS5 Gallery & Sony RX10 IV Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and volume. 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) whilst the Sony RX10 IV has sizing of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") with a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS5 and Sony RX10 IV in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the ZS5 and the RX10 IV.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS5 and RX10 IV is 92 and 52 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions only by reading through a spec sheet. The picture underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS5 and RX10 IV.

As you can see, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS5 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX10 IV will give more detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged ZS5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.