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Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
48
Overall
43
Nikon Coolpix L840 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs

Nikon L840
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • 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
  • Succeeded the Nikon L830
Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Announced May 2009
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
Photography Glossary

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

Following is a in depth assessment of the Nikon L840 versus Panasonic ZS3, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by rivals Nikon and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the sensor resolutions of the L840 (16MP) and ZS3 (10MP) but they possess the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The L840 was manufactured 5 years after the ZS3 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Nikon L840 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the L840 grades vs the ZS3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Nikon L840 over the Panasonic ZS3

 L840 ZS3 
AnnouncedFebruary 2015May 2009More modern by 70 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Nikon L840

 ZS3 L840 

Common features in the Nikon L840 and Panasonic ZS3

 L840 ZS3 
Focus manually Lack of manual focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Nikon L840 offers outer dimensions of 114mm x 89mm x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") along with a weight of 538 grams (1.19 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS3 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Nikon L840 versus Panasonic ZS3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the L840 versus the ZS3.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the L840 and ZS3 is 67 and 91 respectively.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to see the contrast in sensor sizes purely by viewing a spec sheet. The picture below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the L840 and ZS3.

As you can see, both of these cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Nikon L840 to render more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The more modern L840 will have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon L840 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography advice
36
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
includes face detect focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
19
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
low resolution (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon L840
Street photography with Panasonic ZS3
51
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
heavier than competitors (538 grams)
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Nikon L840 Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography info
51
great zoom range (23-855mm 37.2 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
includes tracking focus
great battery life (590 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
24
image stabilization (Optical)
low fps (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Nikon L840 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS3 as a Travel photography camera
57
great battery life (590 shots)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (23mm)
long reach (855mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
heavier than competitors (538 grams)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
63
lighter than competition (229 grams)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (300mm)
missing Timelapse recording
low resolution (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon L840 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic ZS3 as a Landscape photography camera
43
reasonably wide (23mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
great battery life (590 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
35
relatively wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not possible
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon L840 Vlogging info
Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging info
27
reasonably wide (23mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
missing mic port
heavier than competitors (538g)
30
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone support
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Nikon L840 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon L840 and Panasonic ZS3
 Nikon Coolpix L840Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Brand Nikon Panasonic
Model Nikon Coolpix L840 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2015-02-10 2009-05-14
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-855mm (37.2x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.5 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus range 1cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 921k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 7.4 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.90 m (at Auto ISO) 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD Lite
Microphone 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 538g (1.19 pounds) 229g (0.50 pounds)
Dimensions 114 x 89 x 96mm (4.5" x 3.5" x 3.8") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" 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 images -
Type of battery AA -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SC/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail cost $400 $200