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Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
68
Imaging
66
Features
81
Overall
72
Nikon D5300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs

Nikon D5300
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 480g - 125 x 98 x 76mm
  • Introduced February 2014
  • Replaced the Nikon D5200
  • Updated by Nikon D5500
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
  • Announced May 2009
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ7
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Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Nikon D5300 and Panasonic ZS3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Nikon and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the D5300 (24MP) and ZS3 (10MP) and the D5300 (APS-C) and ZS3 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The D5300 was brought out 4 years later than the ZS3 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Nikon D5300 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the D5300 grades against the ZS3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5300 over the Panasonic ZS3

 D5300 ZS3 
AnnouncedFebruary 2014May 2009More recent by 58 months
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Nikon D5300

 ZS3 D5300 

Common features in the Nikon D5300 and Panasonic ZS3

 D5300 ZS3 
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Nikon D5300 provides outer dimensions of 125mm x 98mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 480 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS3 has sizing of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check the Nikon D5300 and Panasonic ZS3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the D5300 vs the ZS3.

Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the D5300 and ZS3 is 68 and 91 respectively.

Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be hard to see the gap between sensor measurements merely by reviewing specs. The visual below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the D5300 and ZS3.

All in all, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The D5300 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Nikon D5300 will offer greater detail having its extra 14MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The newer D5300 will have an advantage in sensor technology.

Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D5300 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography factors
79
focusing manually
MP count decent (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focus
saves RAW formats
19
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Nikon D5300 Street photography advice
Panasonic ZS3 Street photography advice
70
screen articulates
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (229 grams)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon D5300
Sports photography with Panasonic ZS3
66
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
supports phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
24
has image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D5300 Travel photography features
Panasonic ZS3 Travel photography features
80
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
63
lighter than competitors in class (229g)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
long zoom (300mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
megapixel count low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D5300 Landscape photography features
Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography features
76
focusing manually
swap lenses (Nikon F mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inch)
MP count decent (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
35
quite wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
megapixel count low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5300 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging highlights
72
display is selfie friendly
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic jack
lack of image stabilization
30
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (229 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic socket
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Nikon D5300 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5300 and Panasonic ZS3
 Nikon D5300Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Brand Nikon Panasonic
Model Nikon D5300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Type Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2014-02-12 2009-05-14
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Expeed 4 -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 6000 x 4000 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 39 11
Cross focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Nikon F fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-300mm (12.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-4.9
Macro focus distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 309 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3.2 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology TFT LCD monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) 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 data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD Lite
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 480 grams (1.06 pounds) 229 grams (0.50 pounds)
Dimensions 125 x 98 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 83 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 24.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 13.9 not tested
DXO Low light score 1338 not tested
Other
Battery life 600 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model EN-EL14,EN-EL14a -
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $429 $200