Panasonic ZS35 vs Sony S980

Lets look a bit more closely at the Panasonic ZS35 and Sony S980, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the ZS35 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but both cameras posses the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The ZS35 was unveiled 4 years after the S980 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the ZS35 grades against the S980 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS35 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The full galleries are available at Panasonic ZS35 Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS35 comes with external dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 32mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 305 grams (0.67 lbs) and the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS35 and Sony S980 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the ZS35 vs the S980.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS35 and S980 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by reading through specs. The picture underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS35 and S980.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same megapixels. You can count on the Panasonic ZS35 to give you greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures way more aggressively. The more recent ZS35 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.