Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A350

On this page, we are analyzing the Panasonic ZS40 versus Sony A350, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the ZS40 (18MP) and A350 (14MP) and the ZS40 (1/2.3") and A350 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizes.

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The ZS40 was announced 5 years later than the A350 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera and the Sony A350 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the ZS40 matches up vs the A350 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A350. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS40 Gallery and Sony A350 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS40 features physical dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) and the Sony A350 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 674 grams (1.49 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS40 versus Sony A350 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the ZS40 against the A350.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS40 and A350 is 90 and 62 respectively.

Typically, its tough to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing just by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph here will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS40 and A350.

As you can see, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The ZS40 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic ZS40 will give greater detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The fresher ZS40 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.