Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A33
90 Imaging
42 Features
58 Overall
48


67 Imaging
54 Features
80 Overall
64
Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A33 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
- 240g - 111 x 64 x 34mm
- Released January 2014
- Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ60
- Succeeded the Panasonic ZS35
- Later Model is Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Announced August 2010
- Renewed by Sony A35

Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A33 Overview
Let's look more closely at the Panasonic ZS40 versus Sony A33, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the ZS40 (18MP) and A33 (14MP) and the ZS40 (1/2.3") and A33 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

The ZS40 was manufactured 3 years later than the A33 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera and the Sony A33 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the ZS40 matches up versus the A33 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A33 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 and Sony SLT-A33. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS40 Gallery and Sony A33 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Sony A33
ZS40 | A33 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | January 2014 | ![]() | August 2010 | More recent by 42 months |
Reasons to pick Sony A33 over the Panasonic ZS40
A33 | ZS40 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 920k | Crisper display (+1k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Panasonic ZS40 and Sony A33
ZS40 | A33 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More exact focusing | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display size |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Missing Touch friendly display |
Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A33 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS40 enjoys exterior 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) whilst the Sony A33 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).
Look at the Panasonic ZS40 versus Sony A33 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the ZS40 against the A33.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS40 and A33 is 90 and 67 respectively.

Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A33 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it can be tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements only by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS40 and A33.
Clearly, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS40 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Panasonic ZS40 will render extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The fresher ZS40 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A33 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS40 vs Sony A33 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 | Sony SLT-A33 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Panasonic | Sony |
Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 | Sony SLT-A33 |
Alternate name | Lumix DMC-TZ60 | - |
Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level DSLR |
Released | 2014-01-06 | 2010-08-24 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Venus Engine | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 18MP | 14MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4896 x 3672 | 4592 x 3056 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
Maximum enhanced ISO | 6400 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 23 | 15 |
Cross type focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens zoom range | 24-720mm (30.0x) | - |
Max aperture | f/3.3-6.4 | - |
Macro focusing range | 3cm | - |
Number of lenses | - | 143 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen sizing | 3" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 920 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Screen tech | TFT LCD with AR coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | 200 thousand dots | 1,150 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 10.0fps | 7.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 6.40 m | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | - | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p) | 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | MPEG-4, AVCHD | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | BuiltIn | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 240g (0.53 lb) | 500g (1.10 lb) |
Dimensions | 111 x 64 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 70 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 22.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 12.6 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 591 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 300 photographs | 340 photographs |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at release | $450 | $230 |