Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A300

In this write-up, we are comparing the Panasonic ZS8 versus Sony A300, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the ZS8 (14MP) and A300 (10MP) and the ZS8 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The ZS8 was revealed 3 years after the A300 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief summation of how the ZS8 matches up against the A300 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic ZS8 Gallery & Sony A300 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS8 enjoys outer dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs) whilst the Sony A300 has specifications of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic ZS8 versus Sony A300 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the ZS8 and the A300.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS8 and A300 is 92 and 64 respectively.

Generally, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by looking at a spec sheet. The pic here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS8 and A300.

Clearly, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The ZS8 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS8 will give greater detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics far more aggressively. The younger ZS8 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.