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Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37

Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
37
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
65
Overall
59

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Announced June 2012
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Replacement is Panasonic ZS20
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released May 2012
  • Previous Model is Sony A35
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 Overview

On this page, we are analyzing the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A37, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and A37 (16MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

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The ZS15 was manufactured 2 months after the A37 and they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the ZS15 matches up versus the A37 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Sony A37

 ZS15 A37 
Display dimensions3"2.6"Larger display (+0.4")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Panasonic ZS15

 A37 ZS15 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A37

 ZS15 A37 
ReleasedJune 2012May 2012Same age
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

If you're going to travel with your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS15 comes with exterior measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) and the Sony A37 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A37 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the ZS15 and the A37.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS15 and A37 is 92 and 67 respectively.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to envision the contrast in sensor dimensions only by seeing technical specs. The image underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS15 and A37.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS15 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A37 will show greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively.

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Portrait photography info
Sony A37 Portrait photography info
21
focusing manually not possible
cannot use external flash
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
73
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Street photography advice
Sony A37 Street photography advice
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (208 grams)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
77
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic ZS15
Sports photography with Sony A37
36
excellent zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides tracking focus
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
low battery pack (260 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
slow frames per second (6.0 fps)
low battery life (500 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS15 Travel photography information
Sony A37 Travel photography information
61
lighter than average in class (208g)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (24mm)
great zoom (384mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery pack (260 CIPA)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
54
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
low battery life (500 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS15
Landscape photography with Sony A37
36
reasonably wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
low battery pack (260 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
64
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.6 inch)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZS15
Vlogging with Sony A37
33
reasonably wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (208 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone support
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone port
screen isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A37
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 Sony SLT-A37
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ25 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2012-06-29 2012-05-16
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 23 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 24-384mm (16.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 2.6 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.40 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 208g (0.46 pounds) 506g (1.12 pounds)
Physical dimensions 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 75
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.9
DXO Low light score not tested 799
Other
Battery life 260 pictures 500 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $279 $522