Clicky

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3

Portability
91
Imaging
35
Features
44
Overall
38
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 Key Specs

Canon SX260 HS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.5-6.8) lens
  • 231g - 106 x 61 x 33mm
  • Launched June 2012
  • Superseded the Canon SX240 HS
  • Updated by Canon SX270 HS
Panasonic S3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Canon SX260 HS and Panasonic S3, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Canon and Panasonic. The resolution of the SX260 HS (12MP) and the S3 (14MP) is very well matched and they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The SX260 HS was announced 18 months after the S3 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise view of how the SX260 HS matches up vs the S3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Canon SX260 HS over the Panasonic S3

 SX260 HS S3 
IntroducedJune 2012January 2011More modern by 18 months
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution461k230kClearer display (+231k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Canon SX260 HS

 S3 SX260 HS 

Common features in the Canon SX260 HS and Panasonic S3

 SX260 HS S3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Canon SX260 HS features outside dimensions of 106mm x 61mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 231 grams (0.51 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S3 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Analyze the Canon SX260 HS and Panasonic S3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the SX260 HS versus the S3.

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SX260 HS and S3 is 91 and 96 respectively.

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizes only by looking at technical specs. The pic below may give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the SX260 HS and S3.

As you can tell, both cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Panasonic S3 to resolve more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more modern SX260 HS should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 sensor size comparison

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX260 HS Portrait photography features
Panasonic S3 Portrait photography features
37
you can focus manually
includes face detection focusing
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
28
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Canon SX260 HS Street photography info
Panasonic S3 Street photography info
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (231g)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (117g)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Canon SX260 HS Sports photography information
Panasonic S3 Sports photography information
36
great zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (2.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (230 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
35
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
low fps (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Canon SX260 HS Travel photography info
Panasonic S3 Travel photography info
61
lighter than competition (231g)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
long reach (500mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (230 CIPA)
low megapixels (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
68
lighter than competition (117g)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Canon SX260 HS Landscape photography information
Panasonic S3 Landscape photography information
41
you can focus manually
quite wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
not so great battery pack (230 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
38
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
manual focus not available
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7")
lack of manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX260 HS Vlogging highlights
Panasonic S3 Vlogging highlights
34
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (231g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic jack
31
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (117g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic port
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Canon SX260 HS vs Panasonic S3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX260 HS and Panasonic S3
 Canon PowerShot SX260 HSPanasonic Lumix DMC-S3
General Information
Brand Canon Panasonic
Model type Canon PowerShot SX260 HS Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-06-04 2011-01-05
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 5 Venus Engine IV
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-500mm (20.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.5-6.8 f/3.1-5.6
Macro focusing range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 461 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology PureColor II TFT LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15 seconds 8 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/3200 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps), 320 x 240 (240 fps) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264 MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 231 grams (0.51 pounds) 117 grams (0.26 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 61 x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 230 photos 250 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NB-6L -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $349 $110