Both Panasonic ZS100 and Sony RX100 have 20.0 MP resolution sensors but Panasonic ZS100's sensor is 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) and Sony RX100's sensor is 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ).
Since Sony RX100's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Panasonic ZS100.
Below you can see the ZS100 and RX100 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS100 and Sony RX100 Cameras
Panasonic ZS100 and Sony RX100 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Panasonic ZS100 and Sony RX100 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, ZS100 has scored 70, 4 points higher than RX100.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic ZS100
70
22.8 bits
12.5 Evs
559 ISO
Sony RX100
66
22.6 bits
12.4 Evs
390 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Panasonic ZS100
or the
Sony RX100 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1″ versus 1-inch),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
