Panasonic FS7 vs Panasonic SZ3

On this page, we will be evaluating the Panasonic FS7 and Panasonic SZ3, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are created by Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the FS7 (10MP) and SZ3 (16MP) and the FS7 (1/2.5") and SZ3 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The FS7 was unveiled 5 years prior to the SZ3 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FS7 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic SZ3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a quick summation of how the FS7 matches up versus the SZ3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FS7 Gallery & Panasonic SZ3 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FS7 has outer dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") having a weight of 139 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ3 has measurements of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FS7 and Panasonic SZ3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the FS7 compared to the SZ3.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the FS7 and SZ3 is 95 and 96 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph below will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS7 and SZ3.

As you can see, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FS7 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Panasonic SZ3 will show greater detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older FS7 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.