Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A850

Lets examine more closely at the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony A850, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the ZS7 (12MP) and A850 (25MP) and the ZS7 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS7 was released 16 months after the A850 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the ZS7 matches up vs the A850 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS7 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS7 features exterior dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

See the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony A850 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the ZS7 and the A850.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the ZS7 and A850 is 91 and 54 respectively.

Usually, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading through specifications. The picture here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS7 and A850.

To sum up, both cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS7 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A850 will give more detail as a result of its extra 13 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots far more aggressively. The more recent ZS7 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.