Samsung PL200 vs Sony ZV-1

The following is a extensive analysis of the Samsung PL200 and Sony ZV-1, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Samsung and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the PL200 (14MP) and ZV-1 (20MP) and the PL200 (1/2.3") and ZV-1 (1") enjoy different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The PL200 was launched 10 years prior to the ZV-1 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Samsung PL200 being a Compact camera and the Sony ZV-1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a quick view of how the PL200 scores vs the ZV-1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Samsung PL200 and Sony ZV-1. The complete galleries are viewable at Samsung PL200 Gallery and Sony ZV-1 Gallery.

In case you're planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and measurements. The Samsung PL200 provides outside measurements of 100mm x 60mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 170 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Sony ZV-1 has proportions of 105mm x 60mm x 44mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 294 grams (0.65 lbs).

See the Samsung PL200 and Sony ZV-1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use during that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the PL200 vs the ZV-1.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the PL200 and ZV-1 is 94 and 88 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions just by looking through a spec sheet. The image below will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the PL200 and ZV-1.

As you can see, the two cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The PL200 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony ZV-1 will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged PL200 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.