Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony RX10 II

Let's take a closer look at the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony RX10 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the ZS7 (12MP) and RX10 II (20MP) and the ZS7 (1/2.3") and RX10 II (1") provide different sensor sizes.

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The ZS7 was unveiled 4 years before the RX10 II and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving into a in depth comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the ZS7 scores versus the RX10 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS7 Gallery & Sony RX10 II Gallery.

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS7 provides external dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 218 grams (0.48 lbs) while the Sony RX10 II has measurements of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") along with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony RX10 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the ZS7 and the RX10 II.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the ZS7 and RX10 II is 91 and 58 respectively.

Oftentimes, its tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements simply by viewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS7 and RX10 II.

As you can see, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS7 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony RX10 II will render extra detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older ZS7 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.