Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A560

Here is a in depth review of the Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A560, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the ZS40 (18MP) and A560 (14MP) and the ZS40 (1/2.3") and A560 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS40 was brought out 3 years later than the A560 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera and the Sony A560 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick summation of how the ZS40 scores vs the A560 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A560. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS40 Gallery & Sony A560 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS40 enjoys outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) while the Sony A560 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A560 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the ZS40 versus the A560.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the ZS40 and A560 is 90 and 64 respectively.

Often, it is tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizing purely by checking a spec sheet. The visual below will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS40 and A560.

As you can see, each of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The ZS40 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic ZS40 will give more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The younger ZS40 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.