Panasonic GH2 vs Panasonic ZS8

Below, we are comparing the Panasonic GH2 vs Panasonic ZS8, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are offered by Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the GH2 (16MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is very well matched but the GH2 (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The GH2 was announced 3 months prior to the ZS8 and they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the GH2 matches up vs the ZS8 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic GH2 Gallery & Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic GH2 comes with external dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") along with a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS8 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GH2 vs Panasonic ZS8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is the front view scale comparison of the GH2 versus the ZS8.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the GH2 and ZS8 is 70 and 92 respectively.

Oftentimes, its hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at technical specs. The photograph below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH2 and ZS8.

As you have seen, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The GH2 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic GH2 will give you greater detail with its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively.