Sony Alpha 7 IV vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha 7 IV and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20, 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.

Sony Alpha 7 IV was introduced in October 2021 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 was introduced in April 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

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.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 7 IV over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 over Sony Alpha 7 IV.

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.

Screen

Sony Alpha 7 IV and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 have 3.0" screens with 1,440k dot and 460k dot resolutions respectively. Sony Alpha 7 IV has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 has a Fixed screen Both models feature touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder on Sony Alpha 7 IV

Sony Alpha 7 IV has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,680k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.78x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20.

Sony Alpha 7 IV features a 33.0 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 854.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 features a 14.1 megapixel 1/2.33-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.08 x 4.56 mm and a total area of 20.8 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400.

Sony Alpha 7 IV has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Sony Alpha 7 IV is equipped with BIONZ XR processor and can take pictures up to 7008 x 4672 resolution. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 can take pictures up to 4320 x 3240 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4320 x 3240, 4320 x 2880, 4320 x 2432, 3648 x 2736, 3648 x 2432, 3648 x 2056, 3232 x 3232,3072 x 2048, 3072 x 2304, 3072 x 1728, 2736 x 2736, 2560 x 1920, 2560 x 1712, 2560 x 1440, 2304 x 2304, 2048 x 1536, 2048 x 1360, 1920 x 1920, 1920 x 1080, 1536 x 1536, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360, 480 x 480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sony Alpha 7 IV

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sony Alpha 7 IV. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization (5.5 stops of compensation in Sony Alpha 7 IV). On Sony Alpha 7 IV it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony Alpha 7 IV

Sony Alpha 7 IV has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Sony Alpha 7 IV

Sony Alpha 7 IV has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha 7 IV has a Full Size HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 has an HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha 7 IV comes with NP-FZ100 battery pack with battery life of 600 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha 7 IV has two card slots - one for CFexpress Type A / SD (UHS-II) and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II). Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Sony Alpha 7 IV has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Sony Alpha 7 IV, and up to 1/2000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. Cameras can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 7 IV has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 759 focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 has 23 focusing points. Sony Alpha 7 IV has detection range from -4 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sony Alpha 7 IV ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Sony Alpha 7 IV and ±2 range on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 7 IV and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20.

Flash

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 6.40 m. Sony Alpha 7 IV has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Intelligent Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Sony Alpha 7 IV.

Sony Alpha 7 IV body has dimensions of 131 x 96 x 80 mm (5.16 x 3.78 x 3.15") and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 body has dimensions of 105 x 59 x 28 mm (4.13 x 2.32 x 1.1"). Sony Alpha 7 IV weighs 659 g (1.45 lb / 23.25 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 weighs 206 g (0.45 lb / 7.27 oz).

Sony Alpha 7 IV

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20

131 mm

96 mm

105 mm

59 mm

96 mm

59 mm

80 mm

28 mm