Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A100

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Panasonic ZS8 versus Sony A100, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the ZS8 (14MP) and A100 (10MP) and the ZS8 (1/2.3") and A100 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The ZS8 was announced 5 years after the A100 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the ZS8 matches up against the A100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS8 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.

When you are planning to travel with your camera, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic ZS8 offers external measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Sony A100 has proportions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") having a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic ZS8 versus Sony A100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the ZS8 compared to the A100.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the ZS8 and A100 is 92 and 64 respectively.

Normally, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions only by looking through specs. The image below will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS8 and A100.

All in all, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The ZS8 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic ZS8 will render more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The newer ZS8 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.