Panasonic SZ3 vs Sony A850

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic SZ3 vs Sony A850, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the SZ3 (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the SZ3 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) come with different sensor sizes.

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The SZ3 was announced 2 years after the A850 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick summary of how the SZ3 matches up against the A850 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic SZ3 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera, you need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic SZ3 provides exterior dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

See the Panasonic SZ3 vs Sony A850 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the SZ3 vs the A850.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ3 and A850 is 96 and 54 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading specs. The picture underneath may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ3 and A850.

All in all, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ3 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A850 will deliver more detail with its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The newer SZ3 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.