Panasonic ZS80 vs Canon M

The Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 (called Panasonic TZ95 in some regions) and the Canon EOS M are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively, in February 2019 and July 2012. The ZS80 is a fixed lens compact, while the Canon M is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The cameras are based on a 1/2.3-inch (ZS80) and an APS-C (Canon M) sensor. The Panasonic has a resolution of 20.2 megapixels, whereas the Canon provides 17.9 MP.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Panasonic ZS80		Canon M
Fixed lens compact camera		Mirrorless system camera
24-720mm f/3.3-6.4		Canon EF-M mount lenses
20.2 MP – 1/2.3" sensor		17.9 MP – APS-C sensor
4K/30p Video		1080/30p Video
ISO 80-3,200 (80 - 6,400)		ISO 100-12,800 (100 - 25,600)
Electronic viewfinder (2330k dots)		No viewfinder, LCD framing
3.0" LCD – 1040k dots		3.0" LCD – 1040k dots
Tilting touchscreen		Fixed touchscreen
10 shutter flaps per second		4.3 shutter flaps per second
380 shots per battery charge		230 shots per battery charge
112 x 69 x 42 mm, 327 g		109 x 66 x 32 mm, 298 g

Check ZS80 offers at
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Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 and the Canon EOS M? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

The physical size and weight of the Panasonic ZS80 and the Canon M are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The ZS80 can be obtained in two different colors (black, silver), while the Canon M is also available in two color-versions, but different ones (black, white).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Canon M is notably smaller (7 percent) than the Panasonic ZS80. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the ZS80 nor the Canon M are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete and possibly misleading, as the ZS80 has a lens built in, whereas the Canon M is an interchangeable lens camera that requires a separate lens. Attaching the latter will add extra weight and bulk to the setup.

Concerning battery life, the ZS80 gets 380 shots out of its Panasonic DMW-BLG10 battery, while the Canon M can take 230 images on a single charge of its Canon LP-E12 power pack. The power pack in the ZS80 can be charged via the USB port, so that it is not always necessary to take the battery charger along when travelling.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, you can move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible camera comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Panasonic ZS80	112 mm	69 mm	42 mm	327 g	380	n	Feb 2019	449	ebay.com
2.		Canon M	109 mm	66 mm	32 mm	298 g	230	n	Jul 2012	599	ebay.com
3.		Canon M10	108 mm	67 mm	35 mm	301 g	255	n	Oct 2015	499	ebay.com
4.		Canon M100	108 mm	67 mm	35 mm	302 g	295	n	Aug 2017	499	ebay.com
5.		Canon SL1	117 mm	91 mm	69 mm	407 g	380	n	Mar 2013	549	ebay.com
6.		Canon SX730	110 mm	64 mm	40 mm	300 g	250	n	Apr 2017	399	ebay.com
7.		Canon SX740	110 mm	64 mm	40 mm	299 g	265	n	Jul 2018	399	amazon.com
8.		Canon T3i	133 mm	100 mm	80 mm	570 g	440	n	Feb 2011	599	ebay.com
9.		Canon T5i	133 mm	100 mm	79 mm	580 g	440	n	Mar 2013	649	ebay.com
10.		Fujifilm XF10	113 mm	64 mm	41 mm	279 g	330	n	Jul 2018	499	ebay.com
11.		Nikon A1000	114 mm	72 mm	41 mm	330 g	250	n	Jan 2019	429	ebay.com
12.		Panasonic LX100 II	115 mm	66 mm	65 mm	392 g	300	n	Aug 2018	999	ebay.com
13.		Panasonic TS7	117 mm	76 mm	37 mm	319 g	300	Y	May 2018	449	ebay.com
14.		Panasonic ZS70	112 mm	67 mm	41 mm	322 g	380	n	Apr 2017	449	ebay.com
15.		Sony HX95	102 mm	58 mm	36 mm	242 g	370	n	Aug 2018	429	ebay.com
16.		Sony HX99	102 mm	58 mm	36 mm	242 g	370	n	Aug 2018	449	ebay.com
17.		Sony WX800	102 mm	58 mm	36 mm	233 g	370	n	Oct 2018	399	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The ZS80 was launched at a lower price than the Canon M, despite having a lens built in. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Panasonic ZS80 features a 1/2.3-inch sensor and the Canon M an APS-C sensor. The sensor area in the Canon M is 1086 percent bigger. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 5.6 and 1.6. The sensor in the ZS80 has a native 4:3 aspect ratio, while the one in the Canon M offers a 3:2 aspect.

Despite having a smaller sensor, the Panasonic ZS80 offers a higher resolution of 20.2 megapixels, compared with 17.9 MP of the Canon M. This megapixels advantage comes at the cost of a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel (with a pixel pitch of 1.18μm versus 4.31μm for the Canon M). However, it should be noted that the ZS80 is much more recent (by 6 years and 6 months) than the Canon M, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that make it possible to gather light more efficiently. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that the ZS80 has no anti-alias filter installed, so that it can capture all the detail its sensor resolves.

The Canon M has on-sensor phase detect pixels, which results in fast and reliable autofocus acquisition even during live view operation.

The Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 80 to ISO 3200, which can be extended to ISO 80-6400. The corresponding ISO settings for the Canon EOS M are ISO 100 to ISO 12800, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 100-25600.

In terms of underlying technology, the ZS80 is build around a BSI-CMOS sensor, while the Canon M uses a CMOS imager. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic ZS80	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	20.7	12.2	1103	52
2.		Canon M	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.2	827	65
3.		Canon M10	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.2	11.4	753	65
4.		Canon M100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.5	12.9	1272	78
5.		Canon SL1	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.8	11.3	843	63
6.		Canon SX730	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/60p	20.5	11.9	924	50
7.		Canon SX740	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	20.6	12.1	1050	51
8.		Canon T3i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	793	65
9.		Canon T5i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.7	11.2	681	61
10.		Fujifilm XF10	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/15p	24.0	13.4	1844	83
11.		Nikon A1000	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	20.7	12.2	1095	52
12.		Panasonic LX100 II	Four Thirds	16.8	4736	3552	4K/30p	22.8	12.7	979	72
13.		Panasonic TS7	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	20.6	12.1	1028	51
14.		Panasonic ZS70	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	19.1	10.6	106	36
15.		Sony HX95	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	4K/30p	20.6	12.1	1057	51
16.		Sony HX99	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	4K/30p	20.6	12.1	1058	51
17.		Sony WX800	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	4K/30p	20.6	12.2	1070	51
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, but the ZS80 provides a higher video resolution than the Canon M. It can shoot video footage at 4K/30p, while the Canon is limited to 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the ZS80 has an electronic viewfinder (2330k dots), which can be very helpful when shooting in bright sunlight. In contrast, the Canon M relies on live view and the rear LCD for framing. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Panasonic ZS80 and Canon M in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Panasonic ZS80	2330	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Canon M	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.3/s	n	n
3.		Canon M10	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	4.6/s	Y	n
4.		Canon M100	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	6.1/s	Y	n
5.		Canon SL1	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.9/s	Y	n
6.		Canon SX730	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/3200s	5.9/s	Y	Y
7.		Canon SX740	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/3200s	10.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Canon T3i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	n	1/4000s	3.7/s	Y	n
9.		Canon T5i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
10.		Fujifilm XF10	none	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
11.		Nikon A1000	1166	n	3.0 / 1036	tilting	Y	1/4000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
12.		Panasonic LX100 II	2764	n	3.0 / 1240	fixed	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
13.		Panasonic TS7	1170	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/1300s	10.0/s	Y	Y
14.		Panasonic ZS70	1166	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
15.		Sony HX95	638	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
16.		Sony HX99	638	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
17.		Sony WX800	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One difference between the cameras concerns the presence of an on-board flash. The ZS80 has one, while the Canon M does not. While the built-in flash of the ZS80 is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light.

The reported shutter speed information refers to the use of the mechanical shutter. Yet, some cameras only have an electronic shutter, while others have an electronic shutter in addition to a mechanical one. In fact, the ZS80 is one of those camera that have an additional electronic shutter, which makes completely silent shooting possible. However, this mode is less suitable for photographing moving objects (risk of rolling shutter) or shooting under artificial light sources (risk of flickering).

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the ZS80 and the Canon M write their files to SDXC cards. Both cameras can use UHS-I cards, which provide for Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 104 MB/s.

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 and Canon EOS M and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Panasonic ZS80	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon M	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon M10	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
4.		Canon M100	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
5.		Canon SL1	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon SX730	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
7.		Canon SX740	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
8.		Canon T3i	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Canon T5i	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Fujifilm XF10	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
11.		Nikon A1000	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
12.		Panasonic LX100 II	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
13.		Panasonic TS7	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
14.		Panasonic ZS70	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
15.		Sony HX95	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
16.		Sony HX99	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
17.		Sony WX800	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the ZS80 offers wifi support, while the Canon M does not. Wifi can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location.

Both the ZS80 and the Canon M have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on ebay. The Canon M was replaced by the Canon EOS M3, while the ZS80 does not have a direct successor. Further information on the features and operation of the ZS80 and Canon M can be found, respectively, in the Panasonic ZS80 Manual (free pdf) or the online Canon M Manual.

Review summary

So how do things add up? Is the Panasonic ZS80 better than the Canon M or vice versa? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Reasons to prefer the Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80:

• Maximized detail: Lacks an anti-alias filter to exploit the sensor's full resolution potential.
• Better video: Provides higher definition movie capture (4K/30p vs 1080/30p).
• Easier framing: Has an electronic viewfinder for image composition and settings control.
• More flexible LCD: Has a tilting screen for odd-angle shots in landscape orientation.
• More selfie-friendly: Has an articulated screen that can be turned to be front-facing.
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (10 vs 4.3 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• Less disturbing: Has an electronic shutter option for completely silent shooting.
• Ready to shoot: Has a lens built-in, whereas the Canon M requires a separate lens.
• Longer lasting: Can take more shots (380 versus 230) on a single battery charge.
• Easier travel charging: Can be conveniently charged via its USB port.
• Sharper images: Has hand-shake reducing image stabilization built-in.
• Easier fill-in: Is equipped with a small onboard flash to brighten deep shadow areas.
• Easier file upload: Has wifi built in for automatic backup or image transfer to the web.
• Easier wireless transfer: Supports Bluetooth for image sharing without cables.
• More affordable: Was introduced at a lower price, despite coming with a built-in lens.
• More modern: Reflects 6 years and 6 months of technical progress since the Canon M launch.

Advantages of the Canon EOS M:

• Better moiré control: Has an anti-alias filter to avoid artificial patterns to appear in images.
• Better image quality: Features bigger pixels on a larger sensor for higher quality imaging.
• Richer colors: The pixel size advantage translates into images with better, more accurate colors.
• More dynamic range: Larger pixels capture a wider spectrum of light and dark details.
• Better low-light sensitivity: Larger pixels means good image quality even under poor lighting.
• Better live-view autofocus: Features on-sensor phase-detection for more confident autofocus.
• Better sound: Can connect to an external microphone for higher quality sound recording.
• Faster shutter: Has higher mechanical shutter speed (1/4000s vs 1/2000s) to freeze action.
• More flexible: Takes interchangeable lenses and can thus be used with specialty optics.
• Better lighting: Features a hotshoe and can thus hold and trigger an external flash gun.
• More heavily discounted: Has been around for much longer (launched in July 2012).

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the ZS80 is the clear winner of the match-up (16 : 11 points). However, the relative importance of the various individual camera aspects will vary according to personal preferences and needs, so that you might like to apply corresponding weights to the particular features before making a decision on a new camera. A professional wedding photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a travel photog, and a person interested in cityscapes has distinct needs from a macro shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Panasonic ZS80 and the Canon M place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best Superzoom Camera and Best Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera listings whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance when actually working with the ZS80 or the Canon M. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Expert Camera Reviews

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Panasonic ZS80	..	+ +	..	..	4.5/5	..	Feb 2019	449	ebay.com
2.		Canon M	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Jul 2012	599	ebay.com
3.		Canon M10	..	..	..	..	..	4/5	Oct 2015	499	ebay.com
4.		Canon M100	3/5	+	..	..	4/5	3.5/5	Aug 2017	499	ebay.com
5.		Canon SL1	4/5	+	..	78/100	4/5	4/5	Mar 2013	549	ebay.com
6.		Canon SX730	..	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Apr 2017	399	ebay.com
7.		Canon SX740	..	+	3.5/5	..	4/5	4/5	Jul 2018	399	amazon.com
8.		Canon T3i	3/5	o	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2011	599	ebay.com
9.		Canon T5i	..	..	..	76/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2013	649	ebay.com
10.		Fujifilm XF10	..	..	4/5	75/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jul 2018	499	ebay.com
11.		Nikon A1000	..	+ +	3.5/5	..	3.5/5	3/5	Jan 2019	429	ebay.com
12.		Panasonic LX100 II	4.5/5	+	4.2/5	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2018	999	ebay.com
13.		Panasonic TS7	..	+	..	..	..	3.5/5	May 2018	449	ebay.com
14.		Panasonic ZS70	..	+ +	..	..	4/5	4/5	Apr 2017	449	ebay.com
15.		Sony HX95	..	..	..	..	..	..	Aug 2018	429	ebay.com
16.		Sony HX99	..	..	..	..	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2018	449	ebay.com
17.		Sony WX800	..	..	..	..	..	..	Oct 2018	399	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

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Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just use the search menu below. As an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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