Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony RX10 II

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic ZS40 and Sony RX10 II, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the ZS40 (18MP) and the RX10 II (20MP) is relatively similar but the ZS40 (1/2.3") and RX10 II (1") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The ZS40 was brought out 17 months before the RX10 II which makes them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a quick view of how the ZS40 scores against the RX10 II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS40 Gallery and Sony RX10 II Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS40 has external measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 II has sizing of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") and a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS40 and Sony RX10 II in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the ZS40 vs the RX10 II.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS40 and RX10 II is 90 and 58 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to see the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS40 and RX10 II.

As you can tell, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The ZS40 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony RX10 II will offer greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The older ZS40 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.