Panasonic FZ1000 II vs Panasonic S3

On this page, we will be looking at the Panasonic FZ1000 II and Panasonic S3, former is a Large Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both built by Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the FZ1000 II (20MP) and S3 (14MP) and the FZ1000 II (1") and S3 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The FZ1000 II was released 8 years after the S3 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FZ1000 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the FZ1000 II scores vs the S3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ1000 II Gallery & Panasonic S3 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FZ1000 II provides outside dimensions of 136mm x 97mm x 132mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 5.2") having a weight of 808 grams (1.78 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S3 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

See the Panasonic FZ1000 II and Panasonic S3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using during that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the FZ1000 II compared to the S3.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FZ1000 II and S3 is 55 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions just by checking out a spec sheet. The image below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the FZ1000 II and S3.

As you can see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The FZ1000 II due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic FZ1000 II will provide more detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs more aggressively. The more modern FZ1000 II will have an advantage in sensor innovation.