Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A390

Below, we will be contrasting the Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A390, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the ZS7 (12MP) and the A390 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the ZS7 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) use different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The ZS7 was manufactured 12 months after the A390 and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the ZS7 grades against the A390 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS7 Gallery & Sony A390 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry around your camera, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS7 has outer measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) and the Sony A390 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A390 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the ZS7 versus the A390.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS7 and A390 is 91 and 66 respectively.

Normally, it can be hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes simply by checking out specs. The image below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS7 and A390.

All in all, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The ZS7 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A390 will provide greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The newer ZS7 should have an edge in sensor innovation.