Panasonic ZS45 vs Sony A7R III

The following is a in depth assessment of the Panasonic ZS45 versus Sony A7R III, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the ZS45 (16MP) and A7R III (42MP) and the ZS45 (1/2.3") and A7R III (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The ZS45 was announced 3 years earlier than the A7R III which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick overview of how the ZS45 matches up vs the A7R III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 and Sony Alpha A7R III. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS45 Gallery and Sony A7R III Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS45 has exterior dimensions of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs) while the Sony A7R III has dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS45 versus Sony A7R III in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the ZS45 against the A7R III.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the ZS45 and A7R III is 91 and 63 respectively.

Typically, its hard to envision the gap between sensor dimensions simply by reading through a spec sheet. The image underneath will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS45 and A7R III.

As you can see, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS45 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A7R III will give extra detail with its extra 26 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged ZS45 is going to be behind in sensor tech.