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Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1

Portability
66
Imaging
42
Features
51
Overall
45
Nikon Coolpix P520 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
25
Overall
29

Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 Key Specs

Nikon P520
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1000mm (F3.0-5.9) lens
  • 550g - 125 x 84 x 102mm
  • Introduced January 2013
  • Previous Model is Nikon P510
  • Replacement is Nikon P530
Panasonic ZS1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Revealed May 2009
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-TZ6
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Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Nikon P520 versus Panasonic ZS1, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by companies Nikon and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the P520 (18MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the P520 (1/2.3") and ZS1 (1/2.5") enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The P520 was released 3 years after the ZS1 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Nikon P520 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the P520 matches up against the ZS1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Nikon P520 over the Panasonic ZS1

 P520 ZS1 
RevealedJanuary 2013May 2009More modern by 46 months
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS1 over the Nikon P520

 ZS1 P520 

Common features in the Nikon P520 and Panasonic ZS1

 P520 ZS1 
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Nikon P520 comes with outside dimensions of 125mm x 84mm x 102mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 4.0") with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS1 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Compare the Nikon P520 versus Panasonic ZS1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the P520 vs the ZS1.

Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the P520 and ZS1 is 66 and 91 respectively.

Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 top view buttons comparison

Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizes only by looking at a spec sheet. The pic here might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the P520 and ZS1.

As you can see, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The P520 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Nikon P520 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The fresher P520 provides an advantage in sensor innovation.

Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 sensor size comparison

Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon P520 Portrait photography information
Panasonic ZS1 Portrait photography information
41
focusing manually
decent MP (18MP)
no external flash support
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
25
features face detection focus
no manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
low resolution (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.5")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon P520
Street photography with Panasonic ZS1
51
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
more heavy than others (550 grams)
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (229g)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.5")
no RAW support
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Nikon P520 Sports photography details
Panasonic ZS1 Sports photography details
46
incredible zoom range (24-1000mm 41.7 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
low battery (200 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
24
has image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
low resolution (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.5")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon P520 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic ZS1 Travel photography highlights
57
decent MP (18MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
pretty wide (24mm)
very long zoom (1000mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
low battery (200 per charge)
more heavy than others (550 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
63
lighter than competition in class (229g)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
great zoom (300mm)
missing Time Lapse function
low resolution (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon P520 Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZS1 Landscape photography details
46
focusing manually
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
low battery (200 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
low resolution (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.5")
no RAW support
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon P520 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS1 as a Vlogging camera
57
pretty wide (24mm)
selfie friendly screen
image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
lack of microphone socket
more heavy than others (550g)
31
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
lighter than competition in class (229g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external mic socket
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Nikon P520 vs Panasonic ZS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon P520 and Panasonic ZS1
 Nikon Coolpix P520Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
General Information
Brand Nikon Panasonic
Model Nikon Coolpix P520 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
Also called as - Lumix DMC-TZ6
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2013-01-29 2009-05-14
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.5"
Sensor dimensions 6.16 x 4.62mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor area 28.5mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Max resolution 4896 x 3672 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
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 24-1000mm (41.7x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.0-5.9 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus range 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.8 6.3
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3.2 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 921 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT-LCD with Anti-reflection coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure 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 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Optional None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB none USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 550g (1.21 lb) 229g (0.50 lb)
Dimensions 125 x 84 x 102mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 4.0") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 200 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model EN-EL5 -
Self timer - Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $380 $0