Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500
92 Imaging
37 Features
39 Overall
37


91 Imaging
43 Features
56 Overall
48
Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Key Specs
(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
(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- Superseded the Sony WX350

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").

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.

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS8 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS8 over the Sony WX500
ZS8 | WX500 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony WX500 over the Panasonic ZS8
WX500 | ZS8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | April 2015 | ![]() | July 2011 | More modern by 45 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+691k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony WX500
ZS8 | WX500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | No manual focus | ||
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 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.
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.

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

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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony WX500 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 | Sony 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 |