Nikon S33 vs Panasonic ZS45

Below is a extended assessment of the Nikon S33 and Panasonic ZS45, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Nikon and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the S33 (13MP) and the ZS45 (16MP) is pretty close but the S33 (1/3.1") and ZS45 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The S33 was manufactured 2 months later than the ZS45 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before delving into a complete comparison, here is a brief summation of how the S33 matches up against the ZS45 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Nikon Coolpix S33 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45. The entire galleries are available at Nikon S33 Gallery and Panasonic ZS45 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Nikon S33 provides external measurements of 110mm x 66mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.1") having a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS45 has proportions of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Look at the Nikon S33 and Panasonic ZS45 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the S33 versus the ZS45.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S33 and ZS45 is 91 and 91 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to see the gap in sensor measurements only by viewing technical specs. The graphic below may provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the S33 and ZS45.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The S33 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic ZS45 will render greater detail due to its extra 3 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively.