Panasonic ZS80 vs Sony A57

Below is a thorough overview of the Panasonic ZS80 vs Sony A57, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the ZS80 (20MP) and A57 (16MP) and the ZS80 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizing.

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The ZS80 was announced 5 years later than the A57 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a full comparison, here is a short summary of how the ZS80 grades versus the A57 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80 and Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS80 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS80 comes with outside measurements of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") with a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Sony A57 has measurements of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") and a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS80 vs Sony A57 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the ZS80 and the A57.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS80 and A57 is 86 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements only by seeing specifications. The photograph below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS80 and A57.

To sum up, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS80 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic ZS80 will show more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more modern ZS80 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.