Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A580

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A580, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and A580 (16MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS15 was brought out 14 months after the A580 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the ZS15 scores vs the A580 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS15 Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS15 features physical measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Sony A580 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A580 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the ZS15 versus the A580.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS15 and A580 is 92 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by looking at technical specs. The pic here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS15 and A580.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The ZS15 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A580 will give extra detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The fresher ZS15 will have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.