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Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580

Portability
90
Imaging
36
Features
57
Overall
44
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
Portability
64
Imaging
56
Features
82
Overall
66

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS50
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 243g - 111 x 65 x 34mm
  • Released January 2015
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ70
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS45
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS60
Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed May 2011
  • Succeeded the Sony A100
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Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 Overview

Lets look closer at the Panasonic ZS50 and Sony A580, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the ZS50 (12MP) and A580 (16MP) and the ZS50 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The ZS50 was manufactured 3 years later than the A580 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the ZS50 scores against the A580 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Sony A580

 ZS50 A580 
RevealedJanuary 2015May 2011More recent by 45 months
Screen resolution1040k922kSharper screen (+118k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Panasonic ZS50

 A580 ZS50 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Panasonic ZS50 and Sony A580

 ZS50 A580 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS50 enjoys physical measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs) whilst the Sony A580 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS50 and Sony A580 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the ZS50 against the A580.

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS50 and A580 is 90 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its hard to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS50 and A580.

As you can see, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS50 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony A580 will offer greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The newer ZS50 provides an edge in sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 Portrait photography features
Sony A580 Portrait photography features
41
you can focus manually
features face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
73
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 as a Street photography camera
Sony A580 as a Street photography camera
68
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors (243g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
75
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 Sports photography info
Sony A580 Sports photography info
43
excellent zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features tracking focus
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
78
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
great battery (1,050 CIPA)
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A580 as a Travel photography camera
66
lighter than competitors (243g)
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
60
great battery (1,050 CIPA)
decent megapixels (16MP)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS50
Landscape photography with Sony A580
51
you can focus manually
relatively wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
73
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
great battery (1,050 per charge)
2 card slots
missing Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZS50
Vlogging with Sony A580
34
relatively wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (243g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no mic support
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external microphone support
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony A580 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS50 and Sony A580
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
Also called Lumix DMC-TZ70 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2015-01-06 2011-05-26
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 23 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 24-720mm (30.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-6.4 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,040k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 1,166k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.40 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 243 gr (0.54 pounds) 599 gr (1.32 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 44 80
DXO Color Depth rating 20.0 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.2 13.3
DXO Low light rating 138 1121
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 1050 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One Two
Price at launch $350 $848