Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony A390

Here is a complete overview of the Panasonic ZS3 versus Sony A390, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the ZS3 (10MP) and A390 (14MP) and the ZS3 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor size.

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The ZS3 was manufactured 14 months earlier than the A390 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a thorough comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the ZS3 scores against the A390 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS3 Gallery and Sony A390 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS3 has exterior dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony A390 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS3 versus Sony A390 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the ZS3 and the A390.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS3 and A390 is 91 and 66 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to picture the gap in sensor sizing merely by seeing specifications. The visual underneath should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS3 and A390.

To sum up, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The ZS3 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A390 will provide more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a little more aggressively. The older ZS3 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.