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Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3

Portability
71
Imaging
39
Features
34
Overall
37
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 Key Specs

Panasonic LZ20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Push to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-525mm (F3.1-5.8) lens
  • 499g - 120 x 76 x 80mm
  • Released July 2012
  • Successor is Panasonic LZ30
Panasonic S3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2011
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Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Panasonic. The resolution of the LZ20 (16MP) and the S3 (14MP) is very close and they possess the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The LZ20 was unveiled 19 months after the S3 making the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic LZ20 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the LZ20 matches up versus the S3 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ20 over the Panasonic S3

 LZ20 S3 
RevealedJuly 2012January 2011More modern by 19 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Panasonic LZ20

 S3 LZ20 

Common features in the Panasonic LZ20 and Panasonic S3

 LZ20 S3 
Manual focus Lack of manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic LZ20 features outer measurements of 120mm x 76mm x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S3 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the LZ20 versus the S3.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the LZ20 and S3 is 71 and 96 respectively.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes merely by researching specifications. The image here will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the LZ20 and S3.

Plainly, both of those cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Panasonic LZ20 to provide you with greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The fresher LZ20 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic S3 as a Portrait photography camera
36
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
features face detection focusing
no manual focus
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
28
megapixel count decent (14MP)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic S3 as a Street photography camera
45
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than others (499 grams)
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic S3 as a Sports photography camera
47
excellent zoom range (25-525mm 21.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (380 per charge)
low fps (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
35
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S3 as a Travel photography camera
58
better than average battery power (380 per charge)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
very long zoom (525mm)
no Timelapse mode
more heavy than others (499g)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
68
lighter than competition in class (117g)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse function
does not contain selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic LZ20 Landscape photography info
Panasonic S3 Landscape photography info
45
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
better than average battery power (380 shots)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
no Timelapse mode
38
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic LZ20
Vlogging with Panasonic S3
25
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone support
more heavy than others (499 grams)
31
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic port
Photography Glossary

Panasonic LZ20 vs Panasonic S3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic LZ20 and Panasonic S3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
General Information
Make Panasonic Panasonic
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Released 2012-07-18 2011-01-05
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 1600 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-525mm (21.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.1-5.8 f/3.1-5.6
Macro focus distance 2cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT Screen LCD TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15s 8s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.80 m 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720p ( 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 499 gr (1.10 pounds) 117 gr (0.26 pounds)
Dimensions 120 x 76 x 80mm (4.7" x 3.0" x 3.1") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 380 images 250 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $250 $110