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Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57

Portability
91
Imaging
35
Features
33
Overall
34
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS7
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 218g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Launched July 2011
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ10
  • Renewed by Panasonic ZS8
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Announced September 2012
  • Replaced the Sony A55
  • Replacement is Sony A58
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Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony A57, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the ZS7 (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the ZS7 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The ZS7 was unveiled 14 months prior to the A57 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS7 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the ZS7 scores against the A57 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS7 over the Sony A57

 ZS7 A57 

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Panasonic ZS7

 A57 ZS7 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012July 2011Fresher by 14 months
Manual focus More exact focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony A57

 ZS7 A57 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS7 comes with outside measurements 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 A57 has sizing of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") and a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS7 and Sony A57 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the ZS7 versus the A57.

Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS7 and A57 is 91 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to see the gap in sensor sizing just by seeing specifications. The graphic below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS7 and A57.

To sum up, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The ZS7 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A57 will provide greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images much more aggressively. The older ZS7 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS7 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A57 as a Portrait photography camera
21
focusing manually not possible
external flash not possible
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
74
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS7 Street photography info
Sony A57 Street photography info
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (218g)
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
75
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic ZS7
Sports photography with Sony A57
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
max fps low (2.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic ZS7
Travel photography with Sony A57
63
lighter than others in class (218g)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
very long reach (300mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
resolution not great (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
67
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS7 Landscape photography information
Sony A57 Landscape photography information
38
fairly wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
missing Time Lapse mode
72
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic ZS7
Vlogging with Sony A57
30
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (218 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing mic support
77
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone socket
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Panasonic ZS7 vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS7 and Sony A57
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7Sony SLT-A57
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 Sony SLT-A57
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ10 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2011-07-19 2012-09-13
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine HD II -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 16000
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 25-300mm (12.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.3-4.9 -
Macro focus range 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 12.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.30 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 218 gr (0.48 lbs) 618 gr (1.36 lbs)
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 75
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.0
DXO Low light score not tested 785
Other
Battery life - 550 photos
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $350 $1,000