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Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50 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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Nikon Z50

21 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon Z50
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Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing S5 and Z50, two Mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Nikon. Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 is a Pro Mirrorless class camera and Nikon Z50 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless class camera.

Panasonic S5 was introduced to market in August 2020 and Nikon Z50 was launched in October 2019. There is only 10 months difference between S5 and Z50 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50 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

Nikon Z50 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2019-10-10
  • 21MP - APS-C BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 204800)
  • Nikon Z Mount
  • 3.20" Tilting Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 11.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 397g. 127 x 94 x 60 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

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 Nikon Z50

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50 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 Nikon Z50
Video Record Limit
Unlimited vs Limited Record clips longer than 30 minutes
Live Composite Mode
Yes vs No Excellent help for long-exposure photography
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
Viewfinder Magnif.
0.74x vs 0.68x Larger Viewfinder
Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 21 MP 14% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
225 vs 209 16 more focus points
LCD Resolution
1.840k dots vs 1.040k dots 76% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life
440 shots vs 320 shots 120 more frames with a single charge
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Sensor Pixel Area
35.30µm2 vs 15.37µm2 129% larger pixel area
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
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
Digital video stabilization
Yes vs No Stabilizes your videos in-camera
USB Version
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) vs USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Faster Data transfer from the camera
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
CHECK S5 PRICE


Reasons to choose Nikon Z50 over Panasonic Lumix DC-S5
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
LCD Screen Size
3.2 vs 3 0.2 inches larger display
Continuous Shooting
11.0fps vs 7.0fps 4 fps faster
Weight
397 g vs 714 g 317 g lighter
AE Bracketing Range
±5 EV vs ±3 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Animal Eye AF Tracking
Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
CHECK Z50 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Nikon Z50
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Bluetooth Connection
Yes vs Yes Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
Adjustable LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Tilting Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
24 MP vs 21 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Size
3.20" vs 3.20" Large display
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie/Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs Yes Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs UHS-I Read/Write in High Speeds
Webcam Function
Yes vs Yes Use your camera as a Webcam
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs Yes Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 and Nikon Z50
Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50: 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 Nikon Z50 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). Nikon Z50 has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 60 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.36″) and weighs 397 g (0.88 lb / 14.00 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50. Nikon Z50 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 6mm narrower, 3mm shorter and 22mm thinner than Panasonic S5.

Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50.

Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50.
Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon Z50 is significantly lighter (317g ) than the Panasonic S5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Panasonic S5 has a Full frame sensor and Nikon Z50 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Nikon Z50's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Panasonic S5 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

S5
Z50
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

S5
Z50
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both S5 and Z50 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon Z50's 3.20" LCD screen is slightly larger than Panasonic S5's 3 screen.

Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50: 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, Nikon Z50 has a 21.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 6 processor.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Nikon Z50 and Panasonic S5 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. 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 Z50 sensor size comparison.

Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50 Cameras


As seen above, Panasonic S5 has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon Z50. 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.

Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Panasonic S5 has an advantage over Nikon Z50. There are 58 lenses for Panasonic S5's Leica L mount, on the other hand there are only 35 lenses for Nikon Z50's Nikon Z lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Panasonic S5 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. S5's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Nikon Z50 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 11 lenses for Nikon Z mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Panasonic S5 Lenses # of Nikon Z50 Lenses
Standard Zoom 8 (7 Full Frame) 6
Standard Prime 11 (10 Full Frame) 5
Wideangle Zoom 5 (5 Full Frame) 3
Wideangle Prime 18 (17 Full Frame) 7
Telephoto Zoom 7 (7 Full Frame) 3
Telephoto Prime 7 (7 Full Frame) 6
SuperZoom n/a 2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime n/a n/a
Macro Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 3
Perspective Control Prime n/a n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 58 (55 Full Frame) 35

What types of Photography are Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic S5 and Nikon Z50 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

Nikon Z50 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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon Z50 for Street Photography

GOOD
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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon Z50 for Sports Photography

GOOD
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
209 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon Z50 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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
397g
Body Thickness 60mm
Read the details

Panasonic S5 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon Z50 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Panasonic S5 vs Nikon Z50: 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 Nikon Z50, 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 Nikon Z50 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
Nikon Z50
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #63 out of 109 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #95 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Panasonic S5 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon Z50 in all criteria except one: Portability. Nikon Z50 is significantly smaller than Panasonic S5. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon Z50. Otherwise, Panasonic S5 is the better camera overall.

Panasonic S5
Panasonic S5
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Nikon Z50
Nikon Z50
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Nikon Z50 vs Panasonic S5 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Nikon Z50
Brand Panasonic Nikon
Announced 2020-08-14 2019-10-10
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.6 x 23.8 mm 23.5 x 15.7 mm
Area 847.28mm2 368.95mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 21 megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 5568 x 3712
Max Native Light sensitivity 51,200 ISO 51,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 204800 ISO 204800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 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 225 209
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Leica L Nikon Z
Number of Available Lenses 58 35
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Tilting
Size 3.00" 3.20"
Resolution 1,840k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 2,360k dots 2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.74x 0.68x
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 Digital only
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 7.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/250s n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 7.0 fps 11.0 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 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 714g 397g
Dimensions 133 x 97 x 82mm 127 x 94 x 60mm
Battery Life 440 shots 320 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 94 not tested
DxO Color Depth 25.1 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 14.5 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 2697 not tested
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