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Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II

Portability
94
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 Mark II front
Portability
62
Imaging
76
Features
93
Overall
82

Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II Key Specs

Panasonic ZR3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 159g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
  • Launched January 2010
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-ZX3
Sony A9 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 678g - 129 x 96 x 76mm
  • Launched October 2019
  • Earlier Model is Sony A9
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Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II Overview

In this article, we will be reviewing the Panasonic ZR3 and Sony A9 II, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the ZR3 (14MP) and A9 II (24MP) and the ZR3 (1/2.3") and A9 II (Full frame) use different sensor sizing.

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The ZR3 was manufactured 10 years prior to the A9 II and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the ZR3 grades vs the A9 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR3 over the Sony A9 II

 ZR3 A9 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 II over the Panasonic ZR3

 A9 II ZR3 
LaunchedOctober 2019January 2010More recent by 117 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kCrisper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic ZR3 and Sony A9 II

 ZR3 A9 II 
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZR3 offers physical dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") having a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Sony A9 II has dimensions of 129mm x 96mm x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0") along with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic ZR3 and Sony A9 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the ZR3 vs the A9 II.

Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZR3 and A9 II is 94 and 62 respectively.

Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements merely by researching specifications. The graphic underneath may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZR3 and A9 II.

Plainly, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZR3 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A9 II will result in greater detail due to its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older ZR3 will be behind in sensor tech.

Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZR3 Portrait photography information
Sony A9 II Portrait photography information
28
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
85
manual focus
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZR3 Street photography advice
Sony A9 II Street photography advice
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
78
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW files
includes focus via touch
weather sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZR3 Sports photography information
Sony A9 II Sports photography information
37
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
offers tracking autofocus
low max shutter speed (1/1,300s)
slow fps (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
88
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
max fps high (20.0 fps)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
good battery power (690 CIPA)
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZR3 Travel photography details
Sony A9 II Travel photography details
65
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
doesn't have selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
73
good battery power (690 per charge)
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
includes focus via touch
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZR3 Landscape photography details
Sony A9 II Landscape photography details
37
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
86
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
very good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
good battery power (690 per charge)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZR3 Vlogging information
Sony A9 II Vlogging information
29
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic port
36
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has external microphone port
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A9 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZR3 and Sony A9 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
Also called Lumix DMC-ZX3 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2010-01-26 2019-10-03
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine HD II BIONZ X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 51200
Maximum boosted ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 693
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-200mm (8.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1300 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0fps 20.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.30 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 159 gr (0.35 lb) 678 gr (1.49 lb)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") 129 x 96 x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 690 pictures
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous, 3 or 5 frames)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots One Dual
Price at launch $280 $4,498