Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony A350

Below is a extensive review of the Panasonic ZS30 and Sony A350, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS30 (18MP) and A350 (14MP) and the ZS30 (1/2.3") and A350 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

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The ZS30 was brought out 4 years later than the A350 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera and the Sony A350 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise overview of how the ZS30 matches up vs the A350 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A350. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS30 Gallery and Sony A350 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS30 has outside dimensions of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs) whilst the Sony A350 has measurements of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 674 grams (1.49 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS30 and Sony A350 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the ZS30 and the A350.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS30 and A350 is 92 and 62 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements just by looking at specs. The photograph below might give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS30 and A350.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS30 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS30 will give greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The fresher ZS30 should have an edge in sensor technology.