Photocatalytic solar energy conversion to chemical energy attracts great attention due to its high potential in harvesting renewable energy for the future. A ZnS(en)(0.5) photocatalyst hybridized with a CdS component was synthesized by solvothermal and precipitation methods to compare the effect of preparation methods on photocatalytic performance. The highest hydrogen production rate (559 mu mol g(-1) h(-1)) was achieved from a solvothermally synthesized ZnS(en)(0.5) CdS composite at 80 wt% of CdS content under standard 1-sun-irradiation condition (1000 W/m(2)). Photocatalytic hydrogen production rates from ZnS (en)(0.5) CdS photocatalysts were highly associated with degrees of charge separation, crystallinity, reduction power, and light absorption. By comparing two different routes for the synthesis of ZnS(en)(0.5) CdS photocatalysts, solvothermally-fabricated material was shown to have a higher photocatalytic activity compared with material fabricated by a precipitation method. This improvement may be due to its excellent crystalline and charge-separation characteristics. (C) 2017 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.