Clicky

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
67
Imaging
36
Features
44
Overall
39
Nikon Coolpix P500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs

Nikon P500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-810mm (F3.4-5.7) lens
  • 494g - 116 x 84 x 103mm
  • Released February 2011
  • Updated by Nikon P510
Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Launched May 2009
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

Following is a extensive comparison of the Nikon P500 versus Panasonic ZS3, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by manufacturers Nikon and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the P500 (12MP) and the ZS3 (10MP) is pretty similar and they enjoy the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The P500 was released 22 months after the ZS3 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras offer different body type with the Nikon P500 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the P500 scores vs the ZS3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms
	
	

Reasons to pick Nikon P500 over the Panasonic ZS3

 P500 ZS3 
LaunchedFebruary 2011May 2009More modern by 22 months
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Nikon P500

 ZS3 P500 

Common features in the Nikon P500 and Panasonic ZS3

 P500 ZS3 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Nikon P500 has got outer measurements of 116mm x 84mm x 103mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 4.1") accompanied by a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS3 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check out the Nikon P500 versus Panasonic ZS3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the P500 vs the ZS3.

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the P500 and ZS3 is 67 and 91 respectively.

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is tough to picture the difference between sensor sizes just by reading specs. The image below will give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the P500 and ZS3.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing albeit different resolution. You can expect the Nikon P500 to offer more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more recent P500 should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon P500 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography factors
34
you can focus manually
comes with face detect autofocus
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
19
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Nikon P500 Street photography features
Panasonic ZS3 Street photography features
50
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
heavier than competitors (494 grams)
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (229g)
no moving screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Nikon P500 Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography info
36
incredible zoom range (23-810mm 35.2 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery power (220 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
24
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max fps low (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low MP (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Travel Comparison

Nikon P500 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZS3 as a Travel photography camera
47
flash built-in
pretty wide (23mm)
long reach (810mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
low battery power (220 per charge)
heavier than competitors (494 grams)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
63
lighter than others in class (229 grams)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
long zoom (300mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
low MP (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Nikon P500 Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography info
39
you can focus manually
pretty wide (23mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
low battery power (220 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
35
quite wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not available
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon P500 Vlogging factors
Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging factors
27
pretty wide (23mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f3.4)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of mic support
heavier than competitors (494g)
30
quite wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (229 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone socket
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Nikon P500 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon P500 and Panasonic ZS3
 Nikon Coolpix P500Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Company Nikon Panasonic
Model Nikon Coolpix P500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2011-02-09 2009-05-14
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Expeed C2 -
Sensor type BSI-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 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 160 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 23-810mm (35.2x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.4-5.7 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus distance 1cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 921k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT-LCD with Anti-reflection coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/1500s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.00 m 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow-sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD Lite
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 494 grams (1.09 lb) 229 grams (0.50 lb)
Dimensions 116 x 84 x 103mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 4.1") 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 220 pictures -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model EN-EL5 -
Self timer Yes (10 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots One One
Retail price $399 $200