Panasonic LZ30 vs Sony A9

Let's take a more detailed look at the Panasonic LZ30 versus Sony A9, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the LZ30 (16MP) and A9 (24MP) and the LZ30 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) provide different sensor dimensions.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The LZ30 was introduced 5 years earlier than the A9 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic LZ30 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the LZ30 grades versus the A9 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30 & Sony Alpha A9. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic LZ30 Gallery & Sony A9 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic LZ30 has exterior dimensions of 124mm x 84mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) while the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") along with a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Check the Panasonic LZ30 versus Sony A9 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the LZ30 versus the A9.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the LZ30 and A9 is 66 and 65 respectively.

In many cases, it's difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing only by going through specs. The visual here might offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the LZ30 and A9.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The LZ30 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A9 will show greater detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older LZ30 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.