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Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 front
Portability
92
Imaging
42
Features
48
Overall
44

Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 Key Specs

Panasonic S2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 112g - 98 x 57 x 21mm
  • Announced January 2012
Panasonic ZS30
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 198g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2013
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ40
  • Replaced the Panasonic ZS25
  • Newer Model is Panasonic ZS35
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Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Panasonic S2 and Panasonic ZS30, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both created by Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the S2 (14MP) and ZS30 (18MP) but both cameras provide the identical sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The S2 was unveiled 12 months before the ZS30 so they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise view of how the S2 grades against the ZS30 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S2 over the Panasonic ZS30

 S2 ZS30 

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS30 over the Panasonic S2

 ZS30 S2 
RevealedJanuary 2013January 2012More recent by 12 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Panasonic S2 and Panasonic ZS30

 S2 ZS30 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic S2 enjoys outer measurements of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS30 has sizing of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic S2 and Panasonic ZS30 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the S2 against the ZS30.

Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the S2 and ZS30 is 96 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the S2 and ZS30.

Clearly, both cameras come with the identical sensor size but different MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic ZS30 to render extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older S2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 sensor size comparison

Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S2 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Portrait photography camera
33
decent MP (14MP)
provides face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
33
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic S2 Street photography information
Panasonic ZS30 Street photography information
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (112g)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
66
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with touch to focus
lighter than average (198g)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S2 Sports photography factors
Panasonic ZS30 Sports photography factors
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
good battery life (280 shots)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
46
great zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,200 seconds)
small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (260 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic S2 Travel photography information
Panasonic ZS30 Travel photography information
70
good battery life (280 per charge)
lighter than others (112g)
decent MP (14MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
does not posses selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
69
lighter than average (198 grams)
comes with touch to focus
MP count decent (18MP)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
long reach (480mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (260 shots)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S2 Landscape photography information
Panasonic ZS30 Landscape photography information
41
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14MP)
good battery life (280 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
44
really wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (18 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
bad battery pack (260 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S2 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic ZS30 as a Vlogging camera
32
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
lighter than others (112g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic socket
35
really wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Optical)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average (198g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone support
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Panasonic S2 vs Panasonic ZS30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S2 and Panasonic ZS30
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
General Information
Make Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30
Also Known as - Lumix DMC-TZ40
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2012-01-09 2013-01-07
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 18 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4320 x 3240 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 23 23
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 24-480mm (20.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.1-6.5 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing range 5cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 15s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/1200s
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 6.40 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 112 gr (0.25 lb) 198 gr (0.44 lb)
Physical dimensions 98 x 57 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 280 images 260 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch cost $109 $250