Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A850

Following is a in-depth review of the Panasonic ZS40 and Sony A850, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the ZS40 (18MP) and A850 (25MP) and the ZS40 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS40 was introduced 3 years after the A850 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the ZS40 scores against the A850 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS40 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS40 enjoys outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) and the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS40 and Sony A850 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the ZS40 and the A850.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS40 and A850 is 90 and 54 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizes simply by going through a spec sheet. The picture underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS40 and A850.

As you can see, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The ZS40 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A850 will show extra detail using its extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The younger ZS40 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.