Panasonic ZS100 vs Sony A550

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic ZS100 versus Sony A550, former is a Large Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the ZS100 (20MP) and A550 (14MP) and the ZS100 (1") and A550 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The ZS100 was revealed 6 years after the A550 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the ZS100 matches up versus the A550 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are available at Panasonic ZS100 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

If you're aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS100 has external measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS100 versus Sony A550 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the ZS100 versus the A550.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS100 and A550 is 87 and 63 respectively.

Normally, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor dimensions just by seeing a spec sheet. The image below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS100 and A550.

Clearly, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The ZS100 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Panasonic ZS100 will produce greater detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The more recent ZS100 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.