Nikon S30 vs Panasonic FX48

In this article, we are looking at the Nikon S30 vs Panasonic FX48, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by rivals Nikon and Panasonic. The image resolution of the S30 (10MP) and the FX48 (12MP) is very close but the S30 (1/3") and FX48 (1/2.3") use different sensor size.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The S30 was manufactured 3 years after the FX48 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the S30 scores against the FX48 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon Coolpix S30 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48. The entire galleries are available at Nikon S30 Gallery and Panasonic FX48 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Nikon S30 provides physical dimensions of 102mm x 65mm x 40mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.6") and a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FX48 has dimensions of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs).

Examine the Nikon S30 vs Panasonic FX48 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the S30 and the FX48.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S30 and FX48 is 90 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specs. The picture below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the S30 and FX48.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The S30 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic FX48 will render greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The younger S30 provides an advantage in sensor technology.