Panasonic ZR3 vs Sony A330

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Panasonic ZR3 and Sony A330, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the ZR3 (14MP) and A330 (10MP) and the ZR3 (1/2.3") and A330 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ZR3 was launched 9 months after the A330 which means that they are of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A330 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the ZR3 matches up vs the A330 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A330. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic ZR3 Gallery & Sony A330 Gallery.

When you are planning to travel with your camera, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZR3 has got external dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A330 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 529 grams (1.17 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZR3 and Sony A330 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the ZR3 against the A330.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZR3 and A330 is 94 and 67 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions simply by researching a spec sheet. The image underneath should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZR3 and A330.

As you can see, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZR3 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic ZR3 will provide you with extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The newer ZR3 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.