Panasonic FZ100 vs Sony A230

Let's take a more detailed look at the Panasonic FZ100 versus Sony A230, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the FZ100 (14MP) and A230 (10MP) and the FZ100 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

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The FZ100 was unveiled 15 months later than the A230 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FZ100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick view of how the FZ100 grades vs the A230 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic FZ100 Gallery and Sony A230 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic FZ100 offers outer dimensions of 124mm x 82mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.2" x 3.6") having a weight of 540 grams (1.19 lbs) and the Sony A230 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FZ100 versus Sony A230 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the FZ100 versus the A230.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FZ100 and A230 is 67 and 69 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor measurements simply by checking specifications. The visual underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FZ100 and A230.

Plainly, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FZ100 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic FZ100 will give greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The more modern FZ100 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.