Panasonic ZS100 vs Sony A230

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic ZS100 and Sony A230, former being a Large Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the ZS100 (20MP) and A230 (10MP) and the ZS100 (1") and A230 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The ZS100 was announced 6 years later than the A230 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the ZS100 grades vs the A230 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS100 Gallery & Sony A230 Gallery.

In case you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS100 has exterior dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Sony A230 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") along with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS100 and Sony A230 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the ZS100 against the A230.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS100 and A230 is 87 and 69 respectively.

Often, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements just by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph here will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS100 and A230.

Clearly, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS100 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS100 will resolve greater detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a little more aggressively. The fresher ZS100 will have a benefit in sensor technology.