Panasonic ZS200 vs Sony A230

Here, we will be matching up the Panasonic ZS200 versus Sony A230, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the ZS200 (20MP) and A230 (10MP) and the ZS200 (1") and A230 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The ZS200 was manufactured 8 years later than the A230 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS200 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a simple summary of how the ZS200 matches up vs the A230 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS200 Gallery and Sony A230 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS200 offers outer measurements of 111mm x 66mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.8") along with a weight of 340 grams (0.75 lbs) and the Sony A230 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic ZS200 versus Sony A230 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the ZS200 against the A230.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS200 and A230 is 86 and 69 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements simply by researching specs. The photograph underneath will give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS200 and A230.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS200 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh trickier and the Panasonic ZS200 will render more detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more modern ZS200 should have an edge in sensor innovation.