Nikon S3100 vs Panasonic ZS80

Here is a complete assessment of the Nikon S3100 and Panasonic ZS80, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Nikon and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the S3100 (14MP) and ZS80 (20MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The S3100 was revealed 8 years earlier than the ZS80 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Nikon S3100 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a short overview of how the S3100 scores against the ZS80 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon Coolpix S3100 & Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS80. The full galleries are available at Nikon S3100 Gallery & Panasonic ZS80 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Nikon S3100 provides physical dimensions of 94mm x 58mm x 18mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 118 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS80 has measurements of 112mm x 69mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") along with a weight of 327 grams (0.72 lbs).

See the Nikon S3100 and Panasonic ZS80 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the S3100 compared to the ZS80.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the S3100 and ZS80 is 96 and 86 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The visual underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the S3100 and ZS80.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Panasonic ZS80 to provide extra detail because of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older S3100 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.