Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony A390

The following is a detailed analysis of the Panasonic ZR1 and Sony A390, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the ZR1 (12MP) and the A390 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the ZR1 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) use different sensor measurements.

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The ZR1 was revealed 12 months earlier than the A390 and they are of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise summation of how the ZR1 scores vs the A390 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic ZR1 Gallery and Sony A390 Gallery.

In case you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you will have to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZR1 provides physical measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A390 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZR1 and Sony A390 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the ZR1 versus the A390.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the ZR1 and A390 is 94 and 66 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions only by checking out technical specs. The pic below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the ZR1 and A390.

As you have seen, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZR1 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A390 will show more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged ZR1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.