Panasonic ZS50 vs Sony NEX-F3

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic ZS50 and Sony NEX-F3, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the ZS50 (12MP) and NEX-F3 (16MP) and the ZS50 (1/2.3") and NEX-F3 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor size.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

The ZS50 was announced 2 years after the NEX-F3 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-F3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the ZS50 matches up versus the NEX-F3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 and Sony Alpha NEX-F3. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS50 Gallery and Sony NEX-F3 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS50 offers external measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs) and the Sony NEX-F3 has specifications of 117mm x 67mm x 42mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 314 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS50 and Sony NEX-F3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the ZS50 vs the NEX-F3.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS50 and NEX-F3 is 90 and 86 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions just by reading through specifications. The image here may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS50 and NEX-F3.

Plainly, both of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS50 having a tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony NEX-F3 will give greater detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images more aggressively. The newer ZS50 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.