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Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500

Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
39
Overall
37
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 front
Portability
91
Imaging
43
Features
56
Overall
48

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS8
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 210g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Revealed July 2011
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ18
  • Succeeded the Panasonic ZS7
Sony WX500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 236g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Introduced April 2015
  • Superseded the Sony WX350
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Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Overview

Following is a detailed review of the Panasonic ZS8 versus Sony WX500, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS8 (14MP) and WX500 (18MP) but they come with the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The ZS8 was revealed 4 years before the WX500 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the ZS8 scores vs the WX500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS8 over the Sony WX500

 ZS8 WX500 

Reasons to pick Sony WX500 over the Panasonic ZS8

 WX500 ZS8 
IntroducedApril 2015July 2011More modern by 45 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony WX500

 ZS8 WX500 
Manually focus No manual focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS8 comes with external dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Sony WX500 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS8 versus Sony WX500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the ZS8 compared to the WX500.

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS8 and WX500 is 92 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes merely by checking specs. The pic here should give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS8 and WX500.

All in all, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You should expect the Sony WX500 to resolve more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged ZS8 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS8 Portrait photography advice
Sony WX500 Portrait photography advice
30
MP count good (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
39
MP count good (18MP)
provides face detection focus
no manual focus
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS8 Street photography info
Sony WX500 Street photography info
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (210g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
69
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (236g)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS8 Sports photography info
Sony WX500 Sports photography info
47
incredible zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
57
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
great battery pack (360 shots)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic ZS8
Travel photography with Sony WX500
69
lighter than average (210g)
MP count good (14MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (24mm)
long reach (384mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
71
great battery pack (360 shots)
lighter than competition (236 grams)
MP count good (18MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (24mm)
very long reach (720mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS8 Landscape photography information
Sony WX500 Landscape photography information
44
decently wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
does not have Time Lapse recording
49
quite wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (18MP)
great battery pack (360 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS8 as a Vlogging camera
Sony WX500 as a Vlogging camera
30
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (210 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic port
35
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (236g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic jack
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Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS8 and Sony WX500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
Alternative name Lumix DMC-TZ18 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2011-07-19 2015-04-14
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine FHD Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4320 x 3240 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-384mm (16.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.3-5.9 f/3.5-6.4
Macro focusing range 3cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.00 m 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4 AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 210 grams (0.46 lb) 236 grams (0.52 lb)
Dimensions 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 340 images 360 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $275 $348