Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A9
92 Imaging
37 Features
39 Overall
37
65 Imaging
72 Features
93 Overall
80
Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A9 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
- 210g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
- Introduced July 2011
- Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ18
- Older Model is Panasonic ZS7
(Full Review)
- 24MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
- Announced April 2017
- Successor is Sony A9 II
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The following is a complete comparison of the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony A9, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the ZS8 (14MP) and A9 (24MP) and the ZS8 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor dimensions.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe ZS8 was released 6 years earlier than the A9 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before diving straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the ZS8 matches up versus the A9 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Photography Glossary Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A9 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 & Sony Alpha A9. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic ZS8 Gallery & Sony A9 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS8 over the Sony A9
| ZS8 | A9 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Panasonic ZS8
| A9 | ZS8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | April 2017 | July 2011 | Newer by 70 months | |
| Manual focus | Dial accurate focusing | |||
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen resolution | 1440k | 230k | Sharper screen (+1210k dot) | |
| Touch screen | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony A9
| ZS8 | A9 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen sizing | 3" | 3" | Equivalent screen sizing | |
| Selfie screen | Lacking selfie screen |
Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison
If you are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS8 comes with external measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 has dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") with a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).
See the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony A9 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the ZS8 vs the A9.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS8 and A9 is 92 and 65 respectively.
Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it's tough to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through technical specs. The pic below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS8 and A9.
As you can tell, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The ZS8 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A9 will provide more detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged ZS8 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.
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Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A9 Specifications
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 | Sony Alpha A9 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Panasonic | Sony |
| Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 | Sony Alpha A9 |
| Alternative name | Lumix DMC-TZ18 | - |
| Category | Small Sensor Superzoom | Pro Mirrorless |
| Introduced | 2011-07-19 | 2017-04-19 |
| Physical type | Compact | SLR-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | Venus Engine FHD | BIONZ X |
| Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | Full frame |
| Sensor dimensions | 6.08 x 4.56mm | 35.6 x 23.8mm |
| Sensor area | 27.7mm² | 847.3mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 14 megapixels | 24 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Max resolution | 4320 x 3240 | 6000 x 4000 |
| Max native ISO | 6400 | 51200 |
| Max enhanced ISO | - | 204800 |
| Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW files | ||
| Lowest enhanced ISO | - | 50 |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| AF touch | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| Selective AF | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| AF live view | ||
| Face detect AF | ||
| Contract detect AF | ||
| Phase detect AF | ||
| Total focus points | 11 | 693 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | fixed lens | Sony E |
| Lens zoom range | 24-384mm (16.0x) | - |
| Highest aperture | f/3.3-5.9 | - |
| Macro focusing range | 3cm | - |
| Number of lenses | - | 121 |
| Focal length multiplier | 5.9 | 1 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Display size | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of display | 230 thousand dots | 1,440 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch friendly | ||
| Display technology | TFT LCD | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | None | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | - | 3,686 thousand dots |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.78x |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/8000 secs |
| Fastest quiet shutter speed | - | 1/32000 secs |
| Continuous shutter rate | 2.0fps | 20.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | 5.00 m | no built-in flash |
| Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro | Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync |
| Hot shoe | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | - |
| Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 3840x2160 |
| Video format | MPEG-4 | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
| Mic port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | Built-In |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 210 grams (0.46 lbs) | 673 grams (1.48 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") | 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | not tested | 92 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 24.9 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 13.3 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 3517 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 340 pictures | 650 pictures |
| Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | NP-FZ100 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) |
| Card slots | 1 | Two |
| Retail cost | $275 | $4,498 |