Panasonic ZS100 vs Sony A100

Below is a detailed overview of the Panasonic ZS100 and Sony A100, former being a Large Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the ZS100 (20MP) and A100 (10MP) and the ZS100 (1") and A100 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The ZS100 was unveiled 9 years later than the A100 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the ZS100 grades against the A100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS100 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS100 provides physical dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Sony A100 has proportions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS100 and Sony A100 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the ZS100 vs the A100.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS100 and A100 is 87 and 64 respectively.

Typically, its tough to visualize the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual here might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS100 and A100.

As you can see, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS100 having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting bokeh tougher and the Panasonic ZS100 will give you greater detail having an extra 10MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The more modern ZS100 provides an advantage in sensor tech.