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Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
48
Overall
43
Nikon Coolpix L840 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 front
Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
37
Overall
36

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 Key Specs

Nikon L840
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-855mm (F3.0-6.5) lens
  • 538g - 114 x 89 x 96mm
  • Introduced February 2015
  • Superseded the Nikon L830
Panasonic ZS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-384mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 208g - 105 x 58 x 33mm
  • Released June 2012
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ25
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS20
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Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Nikon L840 and Panasonic ZS15, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by competitors Nikon and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the L840 (16MP) and ZS15 (12MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The L840 was launched 2 years after the ZS15 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Nikon L840 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic ZS15 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a brief summary of how the L840 matches up against the ZS15 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L840 over the Panasonic ZS15

 L840 ZS15 
ReleasedFebruary 2015June 2012Newer by 32 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS15 over the Nikon L840

 ZS15 L840 

Common features in the Nikon L840 and Panasonic ZS15

 L840 ZS15 
Manual focus Lack of manual focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and size. The Nikon L840 provides external dimensions of 114mm x 89mm x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") accompanied by a weight of 538 grams (1.19 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS15 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Analyze the Nikon L840 and Panasonic ZS15 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the L840 vs the ZS15.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the L840 and ZS15 is 67 and 92 respectively.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 top view buttons comparison

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions only by checking out a spec sheet. The image below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the L840 and ZS15.

Clearly, both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different megapixels. You should count on the Nikon L840 to provide more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots more aggressively. The younger L840 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 sensor size comparison

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon L840
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS15
36
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
includes face detection focus
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
21
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Nikon L840 Street photography features
Panasonic ZS15 Street photography features
51
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
heavier than average (538g)
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (208 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L840 Sports photography details
Panasonic ZS15 Sports photography details
51
great zoom range (23-855mm 37.2 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
great battery pack (590 per charge)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
36
amazing zoom range (24-384mm 16.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery (260 per charge)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L840 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS15 as a Travel photography camera
57
great battery pack (590 CIPA)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (23mm)
very long zoom (855mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
heavier than average (538g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
61
lighter than competitors (208g)
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
long zoom (384mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
not so great battery (260 shots)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon L840 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS15 as a Landscape photography camera
43
rather wide (23mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
great battery pack (590 shots)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
manual mode not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Time Lapse function
37
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
not so great battery (260 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L840 Vlogging information
Panasonic ZS15 Vlogging information
27
rather wide (23mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have external mic port
heavier than average (538 grams)
33
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (208g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic support
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Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L840 and Panasonic ZS15
 Nikon Coolpix L840Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
General Information
Company Nikon Panasonic
Model Nikon Coolpix L840 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ25
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2015-02-10 2012-06-29
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-855mm (37.2x) 24-384mm (16.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.5 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus distance 1cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 921 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 15s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 7.4 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.90 m (at Auto ISO) 6.40 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 538 gr (1.19 pounds) 208 gr (0.46 pounds)
Physical dimensions 114 x 89 x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") 105 x 58 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 590 photographs 260 photographs
Battery style AA Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SC/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $400 $279