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Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15 Comparison

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Panasonic S5

24 MP | Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Panasonic S5
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Canon G15

12 MP | 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon G15
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Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic S5, which was introduced in August 2020 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 24.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Canon G15, which was introduced in September 2012 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 12.0MP 1/1.7-inch sensor. As you can see, G15 is 8 years older than S5. 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 Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic S5 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2020-08-14
  • 24MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 50 - 204800)
  • Leica L Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 7.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 714g. 133 x 97 x 82 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Canon G15 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-09-17
  • 12MP - 1/1.7-inch CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • 28-140 mm F1.8-2.8 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (tunnel) viewfinder
  • 2.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • 352g. 107 x 76 x 40 mm
  • Replaced Canon PowerShot G12 Compare

Panasonic S5 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark II vs Panasonic S5
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark II vs Canon PowerShot G15

Canon G15 was replaced by Canon PowerShot G16. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon PowerShot G16 vs Canon PowerShot G15
Canon PowerShot G16 vs Panasonic S5

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 over Canon PowerShot G15
Video Record Limit
Unlimited vs Limited Record clips longer than 30 minutes
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Live Composite Mode
Yes vs No Excellent help for long-exposure photography
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 12 MP 100% more pixels
Max ISO
51.200 vs 12.800 300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
225 vs 9 216 more focus points
LCD Resolution
1.840k dots vs 922k dots 99% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
7.0fps vs 2.0fps 5 fps faster
Battery Life
440 shots vs 350 shots 90 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Color Depth
25.1 vs 19.9 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
14.5 vs 11.5 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
2697 vs 165 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
35.30µm2 vs 3.46µm2 920% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
Selfie & Vlogger LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode
Yes (96 MP) vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
6K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 18MP photos from Video footage
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing
Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking
Yes vs No Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode
Yes vs No Change focus point after taking a shot
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
USB Version
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) vs USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Faster Data transfer from the camera
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject
CHECK S5 PRICE


Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot G15 over Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Weight
352 g vs 714 g 362 g lighter
Built-in ND Filter
Yes vs No Use larger aperture under strong light
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Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Canon PowerShot G15
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Optical Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Canon PowerShot G15
Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15: 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 Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic S5 has external dimensions of 133 x 97 x 82 mm (5.24 x 3.82 x 3.23″) and weighs 714 g (1.57 lb) (including batteries). Canon G15 has external dimensions of 107 x 76 x 40 mm (4.21 x 2.99 x 1.57″) and weighs 352 g (0.78 lb / 12.42 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic S5 and Canon G15. Canon G15 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 26mm narrower, 21mm shorter and 42mm thinner than Panasonic S5. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon G15 has a built-in lens but Panasonic S5 doesn't. Once you put a lens on S5, its thickness will increase significantly.

Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic S5 and Canon G15.

Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic S5 and Canon G15.
Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon G15 is significantly lighter (362g ) than the Panasonic S5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

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 S5, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that S5 has a big advantage over G15 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic S5 and Canon G15's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Panasonic S5 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Canon G15's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to S5.
Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic S5 has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. On the other hand, Canon G15 has a 12.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 5 processor.

Panasonic S5's sensor provides 12MP more than Canon G15'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.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic S5's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the S5 and G15 sensor size comparison.

Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 Cameras


As seen above, Panasonic S5 has a 20.4x Larger sensor area than Canon G15. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, S5 has scored 94, 48 points higher than G15.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Panasonic S5 94 25.1 bits 14.5 Evs 2697 ISO
Canon G15 46 19.9 bits 11.5 Evs 165 ISO
What types of Photography are Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 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.

Panasonic S5 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Canon G15 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon G15 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f1.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon G15 for Sports Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Fast Lens at Tele: f2.80
140 mm Tele Lens
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Canon G15 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
714g
Body Thickness 82mm
Read the details
Compact Body
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
352g
Body Thickness 40mm
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Canon G15 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic S5 vs Canon G15: 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 Panasonic S5 and Canon G15, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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 Panasonic S5 and Canon G15 scores compare:

Panasonic S5
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #30 out of 109 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #32 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Canon G15
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #27 out of 477 in Compact cameras
Ranked #422 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Panasonic S5 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon G15 in all criteria except one: Portability. Canon G15 is significantly smaller than Panasonic S5. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Canon G15. Otherwise, Panasonic S5 is the better camera overall.

Panasonic S5
Panasonic S5
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Canon G15
Canon G15
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Canon G15 vs Panasonic S5 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Canon PowerShot G15
Brand Panasonic Canon
Announced 2020-08-14 2012-09-17
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame 1/1.7-inch
Dimensions 35.6 x 23.8 mm 7.44 x 5.58 mm
Area 847.28mm2 41.52mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity 51,200 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 204800 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 80 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 50 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 225 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Leica L fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 28-140 mm (5×)
Max Aperture no lens F1.8-2.8
Macro Focus Range no lens 1cm
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fixed type
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,840k dots 922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (tunnel)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.74x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/8000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 7.00 m
Max Flash Sync 1/250s 1/2000s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 7.0 fps 2.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 714g 352g
Dimensions 133 x 97 x 82mm 107 x 76 x 40mm
Battery Life 440 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 94 46
DxO Color Depth 25.1 19.9
DxO Dynamic Range 14.5 11.5
DxO Low Light ISO 2697 165
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