Panasonic SZ8 vs Sony a1

In this article, we will be reviewing the Panasonic SZ8 versus Sony a1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the SZ8 (16MP) and a1 (50MP) and the SZ8 (1/2.3") and a1 (Full frame) come with different sensor sizes.

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The SZ8 was released 8 years prior to the a1 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera and the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a full comparison, below is a quick view of how the SZ8 scores versus the a1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 & Sony Alpha a1. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic SZ8 Gallery & Sony a1 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic SZ8 enjoys external dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Sony a1 has specifications of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic SZ8 versus Sony a1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the SZ8 vs the a1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ8 and a1 is 94 and 61 respectively.

Normally, it's hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The photograph underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ8 and a1.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ8 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony a1 will provide greater detail as a result of its extra 34 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older SZ8 will be behind in sensor technology.