Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony QX30

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony QX30, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Lens-style by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the ZS7 (12MP) and QX30 (20MP) but they use the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The ZS7 was released 4 years prior to the QX30 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the ZS7 grades against the QX30 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS7 Gallery and Sony QX30 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS7 enjoys physical dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) and the Sony QX30 has measurements of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony QX30 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you select at that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the ZS7 versus the QX30.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS7 and QX30 is 91 and 91 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through technical specs. The visual below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS7 and QX30.

As you can tell, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different MP. You should expect to see the Sony QX30 to result in more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics far more aggressively. The older ZS7 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.