Panasonic ZS80 vs Sony A300

On this page, we are reviewing the Panasonic ZS80 vs Sony A300, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the ZS80 (20MP) and A300 (10MP) and the ZS80 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The ZS80 was announced 10 years later than the A300 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the ZS80 grades versus the A300 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic ZS80 Gallery and Sony A300 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS80 offers exterior measurements of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony A300 has proportions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS80 vs Sony A300 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the ZS80 against the A300.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS80 and A300 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through a spec sheet. The visual below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS80 and A300.

As you can see, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The ZS80 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Panasonic ZS80 will show greater detail with its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The newer ZS80 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.