Panasonic ZS8 vs Sony A58

Lets look a little more closely at the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony A58, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the ZS8 (14MP) and A58 (20MP) and the ZS8 (1/2.3") and A58 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The ZS8 was brought out 3 years before the A58 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the ZS8 scores versus the A58 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8 and Sony SLT-A58. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic ZS8 Gallery and Sony A58 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry your camera often, you need to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS8 offers physical dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs) and the Sony A58 has specifications of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") with a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS8 and Sony A58 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the ZS8 and the A58.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS8 and A58 is 92 and 68 respectively.

Generally, it can be tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading through specs. The visual underneath will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the ZS8 and A58.

All in all, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The ZS8 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A58 will resolve more detail having its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older ZS8 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.