Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony RX100 II

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS50 Gallery and Sony RX100 II Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.