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Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III

Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
25
Overall
29
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III front
Portability
89
Imaging
51
Features
77
Overall
61

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III Key Specs

Panasonic ZS1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Released May 2009
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ6
Sony RX100 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 290g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Launched May 2014
  • Succeeded the Sony RX100 II
  • Renewed by Sony RX100 IV
Photography Glossary

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III Overview

Here, we are comparing the Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the ZS1 (10MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the ZS1 (1/2.5") and RX100 III (1") boast totally different sensor size.

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The ZS1 was revealed 6 years before the RX100 III which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a quick view of how the ZS1 matches up vs the RX100 III in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS1 over the Sony RX100 III

 ZS1 RX100 III 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 III over the Panasonic ZS1

 RX100 III ZS1 
LaunchedMay 2014May 2009More modern by 60 months
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kClearer display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Panasonic ZS1 and Sony RX100 III

 ZS1 RX100 III 
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III Physical Comparison

If you're going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS1 features outside measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Sony RX100 III has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III 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 differ dependant on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the ZS1 against the RX100 III.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS1 and RX100 III is 91 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is difficult to envision the difference between sensor sizes merely by going over a spec sheet. The image below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS1 and RX100 III.

Clearly, each of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The ZS1 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony RX100 III will offer more detail because of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged ZS1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 III as a Portrait photography camera
25
offers face detection autofocus
no manual focus
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.5")
lack of RAW support
64
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 Street photography information
Sony RX100 III Street photography information
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (229 grams)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.5")
lack of RAW support
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (290g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 Sports photography information
Sony RX100 III Sports photography information
24
has image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.5")
lack of phase detect autofocus
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
supports tracking focus
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic ZS1
Travel photography with Sony RX100 III
63
lighter than average in class (229g)
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
long zoom (300mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
low megapixels (10MP)
does not posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
85
lighter than competition (290g)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 Landscape photography information
Sony RX100 III Landscape photography information
31
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual exposure
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.5")
lack of RAW support
lack of Time Lapse mode
73
has manual focus
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 Vlogging info
Sony RX100 III Vlogging info
31
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
lighter than average in class (229 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly display
low quality video (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external mic socket
80
pretty wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (290g)
missing microphone port
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Panasonic ZS1 vs Sony RX100 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS1 and Sony RX100 III
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
Also Known as Lumix DMC-TZ6 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Compact
Released 2009-05-14 2014-05-15
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" 1"
Sensor measurements 5.744 x 4.308mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 24.7mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-300mm (12.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximal aperture f/3.3-4.9 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance 3cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 6.3 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Screen resolution 230k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.30 m (Auto ISO) -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync -
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 229g (0.50 lbs) 290g (0.64 lbs)
Physical dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 67
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 495
Other
Battery life - 320 shots
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, self-portrait, continuous)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch price $0 $748