Panasonic ZS100 vs Sony HX30V

Lets take a more detailed look at the Panasonic ZS100 versus Sony HX30V, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the ZS100 (20MP) and the HX30V (18MP) is pretty comparable but the ZS100 (1") and HX30V (1/2.3") provide different sensor size.

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The ZS100 was brought out 3 years after the HX30V which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short summary of how the ZS100 matches up against the HX30V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS100 Gallery and Sony HX30V Gallery.

When you are planning to carry around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS100 comes with 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) and the Sony HX30V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS100 versus Sony HX30V in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the ZS100 and the HX30V.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the ZS100 and HX30V is 87 and 90 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizes purely by checking out technical specs. The picture here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS100 and HX30V.

As you can tell, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS100 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS100 will provide extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The more modern ZS100 provides an edge when it comes to sensor tech.