Kodak Z981 vs Panasonic ZS30

Let's look a little more closely at the Kodak Z981 vs Panasonic ZS30, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Kodak and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the Z981 (14MP) and ZS30 (18MP) but they come with the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The Z981 was manufactured 3 years prior to the ZS30 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Kodak Z981 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the Z981 matches up against the ZS30 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Kodak EasyShare Z981 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30. The entire galleries are available at Kodak Z981 Gallery and Panasonic ZS30 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and proportions. The Kodak Z981 comes with exterior dimensions of 124mm x 85mm x 105mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 4.1") accompanied by a weight of 540 grams (1.19 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS30 has measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check out the Kodak Z981 vs Panasonic ZS30 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the Z981 versus the ZS30.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the Z981 and ZS30 is 66 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements purely by going over a spec sheet. The visual here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the Z981 and ZS30.

Clearly, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same MP. You should anticipate the Panasonic ZS30 to offer you greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older Z981 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.