Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A500

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony A500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the ZS8 (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very comparable but the ZS8 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS8 was introduced 24 months after the A500 making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the ZS8 matches up versus the A500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic ZS8 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS8 enjoys outside dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony A500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the ZS8 and the A500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS8 and A500 is 92 and 63 respectively.

Typically, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor dimensions just by going through specifications. The pic underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS8 and A500.

To sum up, each of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS8 having a smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh tougher and the Panasonic ZS8 will provide more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The newer ZS8 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.