Panasonic ZS200 vs Sony A700

Below is a in-depth analysis of the Panasonic ZS200 and Sony A700, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the ZS200 (20MP) and A700 (12MP) and the ZS200 (1") and A700 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizing.

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The ZS200 was manufactured 10 years later than the A700 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS200 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A700 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the ZS200 matches up vs the A700 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A700. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS200 Gallery and Sony A700 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS200 provides external measurements of 111mm x 66mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 340 grams (0.75 lbs) and the Sony A700 has specifications of 142mm x 105mm x 80mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 768 grams (1.69 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS200 and Sony A700 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the ZS200 versus the A700.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS200 and A700 is 86 and 58 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by reviewing technical specs. The visual below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS200 and A700.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS200 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Panasonic ZS200 will offer you greater detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The fresher ZS200 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.