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Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5 Comparison

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Nikon 1 J4

18 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J4
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Panasonic ZS5

12 MP | 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) CCD Sensor

Panasonic ZS5
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Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon 1 J4, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP 1" sensor whereas Panasonic ZS5, which was introduced in June 2010 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3" sensor. As you can see, ZS5 is 4 years older than 1 J4. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-10
  • 18MP - 1" CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 60 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 1,200 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 232g. 100 x 60 x 29 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J3 Compare

Panasonic ZS5 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-06-16
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" CCD Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 2.7" Fixed Type Screen
  • 2 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 214g. 103 x 60 x 32 mm
  • Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ8

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
18 MP vs 12 MP 50% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
171 vs 11 160 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
1.037k dots vs 230k dots 350% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/1300s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
60.0fps vs 2.0fps 58 fps faster
Sensor Pixel Area
6.36µm2 vs 2.31µm2 175% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video


Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 over Nikon 1 J4
Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Weight
214 g vs 232 g 18 g lighter
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
External Flash Shoe
No vs No Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder
None vs None No eye-level shooting option
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" Small display
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
New4
Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Panasonic ZS5 has external dimensions of 103 x 60 x 32 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.26″) and weighs 214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5. Nikon 1 J4 is 3mm narrower and 3mm thinner than Nikon 1 J4 but they have the same height of 60mm. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic ZS5 has a built-in lens but Nikon 1 J4 doesn't. Once you put a lens on 1 J4, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic ZS5 is 18g lighter than the Nikon 1 J4 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on 1 J4, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 (Lumix DMC-TZ8) provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon 1 J4's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Panasonic ZS5's 2.7" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5: Sensor Comparison

Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Panasonic ZS5 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3" (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Venus Engine HD II processor.

Nikon 1 J4's sensor provides 6MP more than Panasonic ZS5's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the 1 J4 and ZS5 sensor size comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon 1 J4 has a 4.2x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS5. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Panasonic ZS5 for Portrait Photography

POOR
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic ZS5 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Panasonic ZS5 for Sports Photography

POOR
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
300 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1300s
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic ZS5 for Daily Photography

GOOD
232g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details
Compact Body
214g
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Panasonic ZS5 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic ZS5: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic ZS5 scores compare:

Nikon 1 J4
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #327 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Panasonic ZS5
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #296 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #923 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J4 has a higher Overall Score than the Panasonic ZS5 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon 1 J4
Nikon 1 J4
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Panasonic ZS5
Panasonic ZS5
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Panasonic ZS5 vs Nikon 1 J4 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon 1 J4 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
Brand Nikon Panasonic
Announced 2014-04-10 2010-06-16
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor
Type CMOS CCD
Size 1" 1/2.3"
Dimensions 13.2 x 8.8 mm 6.08 x 4.56 mm
Area 116.16mm2 27.72mm2
Megapixels 18 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 5232 x 3488 4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity 12,800 ISO 6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 80 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 171 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon 1 fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 25-300 mm (12×)
Max Aperture no lens F3.3-4.9
Macro Focus Range no lens 3cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 2.7"
Resolution 1,037k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/1300s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/16000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.00 m (ISO 100) 5.30 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 60.0 fps 2.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 232g 214g
Dimensions 100 x 60 x 29mm 103 x 60 x 32mm
Battery Life 300 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
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