Panasonic ZS20 vs Sony A6300

Here is a in depth review of the Panasonic ZS20 and Sony A6300, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the ZS20 (14MP) and A6300 (24MP) and the ZS20 (1/2.3") and A6300 (APS-C) use totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS20 was unveiled 4 years before the A6300 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6300 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a short summary of how the ZS20 scores versus the A6300 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 & Sony Alpha a6300. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS20 Gallery & Sony A6300 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS20 provides external dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Sony A6300 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 49mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.9") having a weight of 404 grams (0.89 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS20 and Sony A6300 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the ZS20 compared to the A6300.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS20 and A6300 is 92 and 83 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing just by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic below may give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS20 and A6300.

As you can see, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The ZS20 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A6300 will show more detail having an extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older ZS20 will be behind in sensor innovation.