Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX10 IV

Below is a extensive analysis of the Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX10 IV, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the ZS50 (12MP) and RX10 IV (20MP) and the ZS50 (1/2.3") and RX10 IV (1") boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ZS50 was revealed 3 years earlier than the RX10 IV and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the ZS50 scores vs the RX10 IV in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS50 Gallery & Sony RX10 IV Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS50 enjoys external dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Sony RX10 IV has specifications of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") with a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX10 IV in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the ZS50 compared to the RX10 IV.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS50 and RX10 IV is 90 and 52 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor measurements only by looking through technical specs. The graphic here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS50 and RX10 IV.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS50 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony RX10 IV will provide you with more detail because of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images more aggressively. The older ZS50 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.