Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony HX300

On this page, we are matching up the Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony HX300, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the ZR1 (12MP) and HX300 (20MP) but both cameras have the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

The ZR1 was introduced 4 years earlier than the HX300 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise view of how the ZR1 grades against the HX300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZR1 Gallery & Sony HX300 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZR1 has external dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony HX300 has sizing of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") and a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZR1 vs Sony HX300 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is a front view size comparison of the ZR1 vs the HX300.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZR1 and HX300 is 94 and 63 respectively.

Typically, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing technical specs. The photograph here may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the ZR1 and HX300.

As you have seen, both cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can anticipate the Sony HX300 to produce greater detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older ZR1 will be behind in sensor technology.