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Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 front
Portability
67
Imaging
50
Features
50
Overall
50

Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 Key Specs

Panasonic S3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2011
Sony A330
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 529g - 128 x 97 x 71mm
  • Introduced May 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A300
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Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 Overview

Below is a thorough assessment of the Panasonic S3 versus Sony A330, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the S3 (14MP) and A330 (10MP) and the S3 (1/2.3") and A330 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The S3 was manufactured 20 months later than the A330 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A330 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the S3 scores vs the A330 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Sony A330

 S3 A330 
IntroducedJanuary 2011May 2009More recent by 20 months

Reasons to pick Sony A330 over the Panasonic S3

 A330 S3 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Panasonic S3 and Sony A330

 S3 A330 
Screen dimension2.7"2.7"Identical screen size
Screen resolution230k230kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic S3 has got outer measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Sony A330 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 529 grams (1.17 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic S3 versus Sony A330 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the S3 compared to the A330.

Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S3 and A330 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the S3 and A330.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The S3 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic S3 will offer greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more recent S3 is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 sensor size comparison

Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S3 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A330 Portrait photography highlights
28
decent megapixels (14MP)
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
62
focusing manually
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
saves RAW files
low resolution sensor (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic S3
Street photography with Sony A330
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (117 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
75
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Panasonic S3 Sports photography advice
Sony A330 Sports photography advice
35
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
50
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
low battery (230 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic S3
Travel photography with Sony A330
68
lighter than others (117g)
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
44
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
low battery (230 CIPA)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S3 Landscape photography information
Sony A330 Landscape photography information
38
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no manual control
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse function
54
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
low battery (230 shots)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic S3
Vlogging with Sony A330
31
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (117 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external mic support
9
can't record video
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Panasonic S3 vs Sony A330 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S3 and Sony A330
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3Sony Alpha DSLR-A330
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 Sony Alpha DSLR-A330
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-01-05 2009-05-18
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 3872 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.1-5.6 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7" 2.7"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.49x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.30 m 10.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format MPEG-4 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 117 gr (0.26 pounds) 529 gr (1.17 pounds)
Dimensions 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") 128 x 97 x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 64
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.5
DXO Low light score not tested 535
Other
Battery life 250 shots 230 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots One One
Launch cost $110 $545