Panasonic ZS15 vs Sony A77

Below is a extended assessment of the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A77, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the ZS15 (12MP) and A77 (24MP) and the ZS15 (1/2.3") and A77 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizes.

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The ZS15 was released 9 months later than the A77 and they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short introduction of how the ZS15 grades against the A77 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 and Sony SLT-A77. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS15 Gallery and Sony A77 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS15 offers outer dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) and the Sony A77 has sizing of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS15 and Sony A77 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the ZS15 vs the A77.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS15 and A77 is 92 and 59 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements simply by checking out specs. The visual below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS15 and A77.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS15 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh trickier and the Sony A77 will show extra detail as a result of its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images more aggressively. The younger ZS15 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.