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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3

Portability
85
Imaging
37
Features
67
Overall
49
Olympus XZ-2 iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-2 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 346g - 113 x 65 x 48mm
  • Announced December 2012
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
  • Released May 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Panasonic ZS3, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the ZS3 (10MP) is pretty well matched but the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and ZS3 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The XZ-2 iHS was brought out 3 years after the ZS3 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a concise summary of how the XZ-2 iHS grades against the ZS3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-2 iHS over the Panasonic ZS3

 XZ-2 iHS ZS3 
ReleasedDecember 2012May 2009Newer by 44 months
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k460kCrisper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Olympus XZ-2 iHS

 ZS3 XZ-2 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic ZS3

 XZ-2 iHS ZS3 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to travel with your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS comes with exterior dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS3 has proportions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Panasonic ZS3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the XZ-2 iHS and the ZS3.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-2 iHS and ZS3 is 85 and 91 respectively.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to envision the difference between sensor dimensions purely by reading through a spec sheet. The image underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-2 iHS and ZS3.

Clearly, both the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-2 iHS due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS will give more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more recent XZ-2 iHS will have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Portrait photography info
Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography info
46
you can focus manually
offers face detection focus
exports RAW formats
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
19
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
low resolution (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Street photography highlights
Panasonic ZS3 Street photography highlights
66
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
more heavy than competitors (346 grams)
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (229g)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sports photography info
Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography info
43
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking autofocus
great battery power (340 CIPA)
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
no phase detect auto focus
24
has image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low resolution (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Travel photography highlights
Panasonic ZS3 Travel photography highlights
61
great battery power (340 per charge)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
missing Timelapse recording
more heavy than competitors (346g)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
63
lighter than competitors in class (229 grams)
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
long reach (300mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
low resolution (10MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Landscape photography details
Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography details
55
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (340 CIPA)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/1.7")
missing Timelapse recording
35
decently wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual exposure
low resolution (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
lack of Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-2 iHS Vlogging advice
Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging advice
36
fairly wide (28mm)
good max aperture (f1.8)
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external microphone jack
doesn't have selfie friendly display
more heavy than competitors (346g)
30
decently wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (229g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Panasonic ZS3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Panasonic ZS3
 Olympus XZ-2 iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus XZ-2 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-TZ7
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-12-18 2009-05-14
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3968 x 2976 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 35 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 25-300mm (12.0x)
Highest aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.3-4.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm 3cm
Crop factor 4.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 920k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed - 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 8.60 m (ISO 800) 5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD Lite
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 346g (0.76 pounds) 229g (0.50 pounds)
Physical dimensions 113 x 65 x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 216 not tested
Other
Battery life 340 images -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID Li-90B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $450 $200