Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony HX300

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony HX300, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS1 (10MP) and HX300 (20MP) and the ZS1 (1/2.5") and HX300 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The ZS1 was released 4 years earlier than the HX300 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the ZS1 scores against the HX300 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic ZS1 Gallery and Sony HX300 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS1 enjoys physical dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony HX300 has proportions of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") along with a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony HX300 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the ZS1 versus the HX300.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS1 and HX300 is 91 and 63 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to picture the gap between sensor sizes simply by checking technical specs. The picture below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS1 and HX300.

As you have seen, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The ZS1 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony HX300 will give you greater detail as a result of its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged ZS1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.