Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 vs Canon PowerShot A490

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490
      49
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      40
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      Disclosure: We earn money from the affiliate links to products associated with content in this article.

      Overview

      In this comparison, we will evaluate the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and the Canon PowerShot A490, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 was introduced in June 2010 and Canon PowerShot A490 was introduced in January 2010. Let us first list highlights of the models.

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 Highlights

      • 12.1 MP 1/2.33-inch CCD Sensor
      • 80 - 6,400 Native ISO
      • 11 Focus Points
      • Image Stabilization
      • 2.70" 230k dot Fixed Screen
      • 2.3 fps Continuous Shooting
      • 1280 x 720 Video Shooting
      • Built-in Flash

      Canon PowerShot A490 Highlights

      • 10 MP 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor
      • 80 - 1,600 Native ISO
      • 5 Focus Points
      • 2.50" 115k dot Fixed Screen
      • 0.9 fps Continuous Shooting
      • 640 x 480 Video Shooting
      • Built-in Flash
      Table of Contents
      1. Overview
      2. Pros and Cons
      3. Advantage of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5
      4. Advantage of Canon PowerShot A490
      5. Common Strengths and Weaknesses
      6. Screen
      7. Sensor
      8. Photography Features
      9. Connectivity, Battery and Storage
      10. Other Features
      11. Physical Parameters
      12. For Different Types of Photography
      13. Evaluations
      14. Specifications  

      Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

      Pros and Cons

      In this section we present pros and cons of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and Canon PowerShot A490.

      PROS

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      •   Video Capture
      •   80 Lowest Native ISO
      •   6,400 Highest Native ISO
      •   Face Detection
      •   Live View Autofocus
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Built-in Flash
      •   Light - 214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz)
      •   Internal Storage
      •   Orientation Sensor
      •   Video Capture
      •   80 Lowest Native ISO
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   Live View Autofocus
      •   Built-in Flash
      •   Light - 175 g (0.39 lb / 6.17 oz)

      CONS

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 12.1 Megapixel
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   11 Focus Points
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      •   Low Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/1300 sec
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 2.3 fps
      •   No External Flash Connectivity
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1280 x 720
      •   No HDMI Output
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 10 Megapixel
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   5 Focus Points
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 115k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      •   Low Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/2000 sec
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 0.9 fps
      •   No External Flash Connectivity
      •   Low Video Resolution - 640 x 480
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      •   No Environmental Sealing


      And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:

      AVERAGE

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      •   Screen Size - 2.70"
      •   Screen Size - 2.50"

      Advantage of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Panasonic ZS5
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 over Canon PowerShot A490.

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 vs Canon PowerShot A490
      Higher Sensor Resolution 12.1 Megapixel vs 10 Megapixel
      Higher Native ISO 6,400 vs 1,600
      Max Image Resolution 4000 x 3000 vs 3648 x 2736
      More Focus Points 11 vs 5
      Multi Area Autofocus vs
      Center Autofocus vs
      Tracking Autofocus vs
      Continuous Autofocus vs
      Face Detection vs
      Reaches Wider Angle 25 mm vs 37 mm
      Reachs More Telephoto 300 mm vs 122 mm
      Greater Optical Zoom 12x vs 3.3x
      Maximum Aperture at Tele End f/4.9 vs f/5.8
      Image Stabilization vs
      Larger Screen 2.70" vs 2.50"
      Higher Resolution Screen 230k dot vs 115k dot
      Lower Min Shutter Speed 60 sec vs 15 sec
      Higher Max Continuous Shooting 2.3 fps vs 0.9 fps
      Manual Exposure Mode vs
      Aperture Priority vs
      Shutter Priority vs
      Higher Video Resolution 1280 x 720 vs 640 x 480

      Check out other cameras which are frequently compared to Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5.

      Panasonic ZS8
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      1/2.33-inch

      14.1 MP

      Panasonic ZS3
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      1/2.33-inch

      10 MP

      Panasonic ZS7
      Image cannot be found

      1/2.33-inch

      12.1 MP

      Panasonic ZS1
      Image cannot be found

      1/2.5-inch

      10.1 MP

      Pentax WS80
      Image cannot be found

      1/2.3-inch

      10.00 MP

      Panasonic TS4
      Image cannot be found

      1/2.33-inch

      12.1 MP

      Canon Rebel T5
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      APS-C

      18.0 MP

      Canon R10
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      24.2 MP

      Fujifilm T500
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      1/2.3-inch

      16 MP

      Panasonic G95
      Image cannot be found

      Micro Four Thirds

      20.3 MP

      Canon 5DS
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      Full Frame

      50.6 MP

      Fujifilm AV250
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      1/2.3-inch

      16 MP

      Advantage of Canon PowerShot A490

      Canon A490
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot A490 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5.

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 vs Canon PowerShot A490
      Larger Sensor 1/2.33-inch vs 1/2.3-inch
      Maximum Aperture at Wide End f/3.3 vs f/3.0
      Min Macro Focus Distance 3 cm vs 1 cm
      Higher Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) 1/1300 sec vs 1/2000 sec
      Lighter 214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz) vs 175 g (0.39 lb / 6.17 oz)

      Check out other cameras which are frequently compared to Canon PowerShot A490.

      Canon A800
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      1/2.3-inch

      10 MP

      Canon A495
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      1/2.3-inch

      10 MP

      Canon A480
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      1/2.3-inch

      10 MP

      Canon A810
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      1/2.3-inch

      16.0 MP

      Sony a7S III
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      Full Frame

      12.1 MP

      Canon Rebel T5
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      APS-C

      18.0 MP

      Canon 70D
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      APS-C

      20.2 MP

      Canon R50
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      APS-C

      24.2 MP

      Sony a6100
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      APS-C

      24.2 MP

      Canon R7
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      APS-C

      32.5 MP

      Canon R8
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      Full Frame

      24.2 MP

      Canon R10
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      APS-C

      24.2 MP

      Common Strengths and Weaknesses

      We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

      STRENGTHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 Canon PowerShot A490
        Video Capture
        Low Native ISO8080
        High Native ISO6,4001,600
        Live View Autofocus
        Built-in Flash
        Light214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz)175 g (0.39 lb / 6.17 oz)
      WEAKNESSES Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 Canon PowerShot A490
        Small Sensor1/2.33-inch1/2.3-inch
        Low Resolution Sensor12.1 Megapixel10 Megapixel
        Timelapse Recording
        Few Focus Points115
        Screen TypeFixedFixed
        Low Resolution Screen230k dot115k dot
        No Viewfinder
        Low Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain)1/1300 sec1/2000 sec
        Low Max Continuous Shooting2.3 fps0.9 fps
        No External Flash Connectivity
        Low Video Resolution1280 x 720640 x 480
        No Microphone Input
        No Headphone Output
        No Built-in GPS
        No Built-In Wi-Fi
        No Built-In Bluetooth
        No Environmental Sealing

      Screen

      Screen

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 has a 2.70" screen with 230k dot resolution and Canon PowerShot A490 has a 2.50" screen with 115k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens.

      Sensor

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.33-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 6.08 x 4.56 mm and a total area of 27.7 mm2. Its native ISO range is 80 - 6,400. Canon PowerShot A490 features a 10 megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm2. Its native ISO range is 80 - 1,600.

      Photography Features

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 is equipped with Venus Engine HD II processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4176 x 2784 4320 x 2432, 3264 x 2448, 3392 x 2264, 3552 x 2000, 2560 x 1920, 2656 x 1768, 2784 x 1568, 2048 x 1536, 2048 x 1360, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360 with 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Canon PowerShot A490 can take pictures up to 3648 x 2736 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3648 x 2048, 2816 x 2112, 2272 x 1704, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios.

      Image Stabilization on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 has an image stabilization.

      Connectivity, Battery and Storage

      USB Inputs

      Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer.


      Battery

      Canon PowerShot A490 comes with 2 x AA battery pack.


      External Storage Slots

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Canon PowerShot A490 has a single SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus card slot.

      Other Features

      Shutter

      Shutter speed can go up to 1/1300 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5, and up to 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot A490. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 can shoot continuously up to 2.3 fps. Canon PowerShot A490 can shoot continuously up to 0.9 fps.


      Flash

      Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 5.30 m on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and 3.00 m on Canon PowerShot A490..

      Physical Parameters

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 body has dimensions of 103 x 60 x 32 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.26") and Canon PowerShot A490 body has dimensions of 94 x 62 x 31 mm (3.7 x 2.44 x 1.22"). Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 weighs 214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz) and Canon PowerShot A490 weighs 175 g (0.39 lb / 6.17 oz).

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      103 mm

      60 mm

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      94 mm

      62 mm

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      60 mm

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      62 mm

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      Size comparisons of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and Canon PowerShot A490

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and Canon PowerShot A490 for Different Types of Photography

      We give scores to the cameras for six types of photography based on their features and specifications. Let us see how suitable they are for each type of photography.

      Landscape Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      POOR
      46
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      POOR
      46
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 115k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing

      Sports Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      GOOD
      72
      •   6,400 Highest Native ISO
      •   11 Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 2.3 fps
      •   Orientation Sensor
      BAD
      36
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   5 Focus Points
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 115k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 0.9 fps

      Wildlife Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      AVERAGE
      69
      •   6,400 Highest Native ISO
      •   11 Focus Points
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 2.3 fps
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Orientation Sensor
      POOR
      46
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   5 Focus Points
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 115k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 0.9 fps
      •   No Environmental Sealing

      Portrait Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      GOOD
      70
      •   Small Sensor
      •   11 Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Screen Size - 2.70"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No External Flash Connectivity
      •   Orientation Sensor
      POOR
      44
      •   Small Sensor
      •   5 Focus Points
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Screen Size - 2.50"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 115k dot
      •   No External Flash Connectivity

      Street Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      GOOD
      82
      •   Small Sensor
      •   11 Focus Points
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz)
      GOOD
      79
      •   Small Sensor
      •   5 Focus Points
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 115k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 175 g (0.39 lb / 6.17 oz)

      Travel Photography

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      EXCELLENT
      87
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1280 x 720
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz)
      EXCELLENT
      85
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 115k dot
      •   Low Video Resolution - 640 x 480
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 175 g (0.39 lb / 6.17 oz)

      Evaluations

      We evaluate Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and Canon PowerShot A490 and give them scores of 49 and 40 out of 100 recpectively. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.


      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      OVERALL
      49
      OVERALL
      40

      Sensor

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      POOR
      46
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 12.1 Megapixel
      •   80 Lowest Native ISO
      •   6,400 Highest Native ISO
      POOR
      45
      •   Small Sensor
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 10 Megapixel
      •   80 Lowest Native ISO
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO

      Photo

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      AVERAGE
      58
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Low Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/1300 sec
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 2.3 fps
      •   No External Flash Connectivity
      BAD
      25
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/2000 sec
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 0.9 fps
      •   No External Flash Connectivity

      Video

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      POOR
      43
      •   Image Stabilization
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1280 x 720
      BAD
      2
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Video Resolution - 640 x 480

      Focusing

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      GOOD
      71
      •   11 Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   Live View Autofocus
      POOR
      54
      •   5 Focus Points
      •   No Face Detection
      •   Live View Autofocus

      Screen and Viewfinder

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      POOR
      50
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Screen Size - 2.70"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Viewfinder
      POOR
      47
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Screen Size - 2.50"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 115k dot
      •   No Viewfinder

      Connectivity

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      BAD
      28
      •   No HDMI Output
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      BAD
      38
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth

      Battery, Storage and Physical

      Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

      Canon PowerShot A490

      POOR
      48
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 214 g (0.47 lb / 7.55 oz)
      •   Internal Storage
      POOR
      54
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 175 g (0.39 lb / 6.17 oz)


      For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:

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