Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony HX400V

Here is a comprehensive review of the Panasonic ZS1 and Sony HX400V, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the ZS1 (10MP) and HX400V (20MP) and the ZS1 (1/2.5") and HX400V (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The ZS1 was manufactured 5 years prior to the HX400V and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX400V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summary of how the ZS1 scores versus the HX400V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS1 Gallery and Sony HX400V Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS1 enjoys outside dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony HX400V has sizing of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") having a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS1 and Sony HX400V in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at that moment. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the ZS1 versus the HX400V.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS1 and HX400V is 91 and 62 respectively.

Typically, it is very tough to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing purely by going through specs. The graphic here should give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS1 and HX400V.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The ZS1 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony HX400V will provide greater detail due to its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older ZS1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.