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Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
57
Overall
45
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
74
Overall
60

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II 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
  • Launched January 2015
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ70
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS45
  • Replacement is Panasonic ZS60
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2013
  • Old Model is Sony RX100
  • New Model is Sony RX100 III
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Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

Let's look a little more in depth at the Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the ZS50 (12MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the ZS50 (1/2.3") and RX100 II (1") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS50 was launched 19 months after the RX100 II making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the ZS50 grades vs the RX100 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Sony RX100 II

 ZS50 RX100 II 
IntroducedJanuary 2015June 2013More modern by 19 months

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Panasonic ZS50

 RX100 II ZS50 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k1040kClearer display (+189k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS50 and Sony RX100 II

 ZS50 RX100 II 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS50 comes with outside measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Sony RX100 II has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have during that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the ZS50 vs the RX100 II.

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS50 and RX100 II is 90 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to picture the difference in sensor sizes merely by going through specifications. The picture here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS50 and RX100 II.

To sum up, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The ZS50 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony RX100 II will produce greater detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The more modern ZS50 should have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Portrait photography camera
42
you can focus manually
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
70
has manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000s)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
comes with face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 Street photography advice
Sony RX100 II Street photography advice
68
has image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition in class (243g)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (281 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Sports photography camera
43
incredible zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has tracking focus
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
67
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
great battery (350 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Travel photography camera
66
lighter than competition in class (243g)
has built in flash
rather wide (24mm)
great zoom (720mm)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
80
great battery (350 per charge)
lighter than competitors in class (281g)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Landscape photography camera
51
you can focus manually
rather wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
saves RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
74
has manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
saves RAW formats
great battery (350 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS50 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 II as a Vlogging camera
34
rather wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (243 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
missing microphone socket
37
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (281g)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone socket
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Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS50 and Sony RX100 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Other name Lumix DMC-TZ70 -
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2015-01-06 2013-06-27
Physical type Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 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
Lowest native ISO 80 160
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 23 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-720mm (30.0x) 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximum aperture f/3.3-6.4 f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing range 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 1,166 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.40 m 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash options Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
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 grams (0.54 pounds) 281 grams (0.62 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 44 67
DXO Color Depth rating 20.0 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.2 12.4
DXO Low light rating 138 483
Other
Battery life 300 pictures 350 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $350 $598