Canon SD3500 IS vs Panasonic ZS80

Below is a comprehensive analysis of the Canon SD3500 IS and Panasonic ZS80, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Canon and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the SD3500 IS (14MP) and ZS80 (20MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The SD3500 IS was brought out 9 years earlier than the ZS80 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the SD3500 IS matches up versus the ZS80 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon PowerShot SD3500 IS & Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80. The entire galleries are available at Canon SD3500 IS Gallery & Panasonic ZS80 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Canon SD3500 IS comes with external measurements of 99mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 160 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS80 has measurements of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") along with a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon SD3500 IS and Panasonic ZS80 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the SD3500 IS and the ZS80.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SD3500 IS and ZS80 is 95 and 86 respectively.

Quite often, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements merely by checking a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SD3500 IS and ZS80.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You can count on the Panasonic ZS80 to give more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older SD3500 IS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.