Panasonic ZS200 vs Sony W550

Let's look more closely at the Panasonic ZS200 versus Sony W550, former being a Large Sensor Compact while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the ZS200 (20MP) and W550 (14MP) and the ZS200 (1") and W550 (1/2.3") boast different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The ZS200 was released 6 years later than the W550 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS200 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise overview of how the ZS200 scores versus the W550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS200 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS200 comes with external measurements of 111mm x 66mm x 45mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.8") having a weight of 340 grams (0.75 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS200 versus Sony W550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the ZS200 against the W550.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS200 and W550 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Normally, it can be tough to picture the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing specifications. The photograph below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS200 and W550.

To sum up, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS200 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS200 will render extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots more aggressively. The fresher ZS200 should have a benefit in sensor technology.