Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A290

Let's look a little more in depth at the Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A290, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the ZS8 (14MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the ZS8 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS8 was released 14 months after the A290 making them a generation away from one another. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the ZS8 grades versus the A290 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS8 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera often, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS8 has external dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Sony A290 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the ZS8 vs the A290.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS8 and A290 is 92 and 66 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes only by going through technical specs. The pic here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS8 and A290.

As you can tell, both of the cameras come with the identical megapixel count but not the same sensor sizes. The ZS8 has got the smaller sensor which should make obtaining shallower depth of field tougher. The newer ZS8 is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.