Panasonic SZ5

Panasonic SZ5 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Compact camera first announced on July of 2012. It has got a 14 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 4320 x 3240.

The SZ5 ranks at #76 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras and all around #879 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. You can check our Advanced camera finder to see camera ratings based on your custom criteria.

The following is a diagram of various criteria used in the scoring system.

The Panasonic SZ5 comes with a history of related cameras. Underneath, you can discover all older and the latest models along with important specifications.

You can see the SZ5 from various angles in the gallery below.

Below is a checklist of advantages and disadvantages of the Panasonic SZ5 based on aspects that are often seen as crucial in a camera.

The measurement of the sensor in the Panasonic SZ5 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to resolve 4320 x 3240 pixels at aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera has got Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is better than digital stabilization as the latter may cause cropping.

Photography Glossary

The CCD sensor boasts 14MP and provides a native ISO range of 100 - 1600. This ISO can also be increased digitally to a high of 6400. Unfortunately, RAW files are not supported therefore the user has less room to maneuver in post.

The image below displays the SZ5's sensor dimensions in comparison to other common sizes. The SZ5 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is showcased in green.

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To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Panasonic SZ5 is 0.30 lbs (136 grams / 4.80 oz) and features outer measurements of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8"). The weight of general Small Sensor Compact camera is 174 grams so the Panasonic SZ5 is lighter when compared with other competitors.

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The following is a photo of the Panasonic SZ5 alongside a soft drink so you can have a sense of its scale.

The top view below will illustrate the button arrangement on the SZ5.

The SZ5 is equipped with a built-in lens providing a focal range of 25-250mm making it a 10.0 x zoom which is not amazing but it may be useful in a few circumstances.

At the widest 25mm, the lens provides an aperture of f3.1 which will be pretty slow and not the best in low light situations and you will probably find it hard to capture good bokeh. You will likely also have to raise the ISO setting giving you noisy pictures. At the tele end, 250mm is phenomenal zoom and comes to f5.9 which is pretty slow and you will need to use slow shutter speeds.

The SZ5 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes

Cameras that consist of NFC or Bluetooth support can easily be used wirelessly by smartphones. You can easily send pictures and sometimes adjust settings without the hassle of connecting directly to the camera.

Several applications even give a Liveview and press the shutter in case you aren't near the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI out, it could be attached to an external monitor. Almost all cameras will allow you to recharge the battery using the USB socket.

The highest video resolution in the Panasonic SZ5 is 1280 x 720 and it can capture in MPEG-4 format. 720p is terrible by today's standards. You really should try to get a minimum FUll HD resolution for video. The camera doesn't include a mic or headphone port which means that you have no control over your sound. It is perhaps best to purchase another camera in case you want good sound in your video clips.

Panasonic SZ5 doesn't include weather sealing so wet conditions could damage the camera.

The Panasonic SZ5 has got a 3 inch fixed display screen boasting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the display screen is not a touch screen.

Photography Glossary

The View Finder specifications regarding Panasonic SZ5 are below:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are quite handy during bright outdoor situations which can easily make the camera display washed out and very difficult to view.

Panasonic SZ5 continuous shooting speed is 2.0 frames per second. The maximum shutter speed is 1/1600 seconds.

Panasonic SZ5 has got only inbuilt flash with no external flash ability.

Panasonic SZ5 has got just Contrast Based Autofocus and lacks Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is more quicker & precise when compared with Contrast Based focusing. The camera has got Face detect making it valuable for portrait photography.

The Sensor has got 23 focus points to pick from. It also features Tracking Autofocus for subjects on the move. Panasonic SZ5 lacks manual focusing. Manual focusing is useful during low light situations or you need more precise focusing control.

The battery power on the Panasonic SZ5 is built to last for 250 pictures according to the CIPA standards making it about the same as its competition. The typical Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 offers the highest (470) battery life within this category of cameras.

Here is a number of Small Sensor Compact cameras with the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X30
SZ5 vs Fujifilm X30470 yesnono

Casio EX-10
SZ5 vs EX-10455 yesnono

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Ricoh GR Digital IV
SZ5 vs GR Digital IV390 yesnono

Canon G12
SZ5 vs G12370 yesnono

Canon G16
SZ5 vs G16360 yesnono

The following illustration provides a overview of the Panasonic SZ5 for various categories of photography. To check out more, visit the specific paragraph below.

The Panasonic SZ5 receives a points tally of 34 which is horrible, meaning that it is not appropriate to use for portrait photography. Shooting portrait images favors heavily to sensor resolution, support for RAW files along with the flexibility to work with external flash.

Having a above average rating of 63, the Panasonic SZ5 is a respectable choice for street photography. A very good street photography camera provides a fine balance of picture quality and portability.

A horrible sports photography points tally of 40 means the Panasonic SZ5 is not appropriate for photographing sports. A camera really should have great tracking plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is very critical when buying a camera for travel. In general, the Panasonic SZ5 gets a very good 70 as a travelling camera which is a good fit for your trips.

For anyone planning to pick a camera for landscape pictures, the most vital aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Panasonic SZ5 at it's horrible rating of 42 for a landscape camera is not appropriate in the current market.

A camera for vlogging should have a articulating screen, microphone port and ideally IBIS. Taking all things into account, the Panasonic SZ5 is not appropriate as a vlog camera as it receives a horrible score of 32.

If you want replacements to the SZ5, here is a list of the highest ranked cameras that fall into the class of Small Sensor Compact.

The chart down below shows you a bird's eye view of the SZ5 vs it's top ranking competitors mentioned earlier.

There are more cameras you may take a look at as alternatives. To go through a extensive comparison, visit the "compare" link.