Panasonic ZS100 vs Sony NEX-3N

On this page, we will be contrasting the Panasonic ZS100 and Sony NEX-3N, former being a Large Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the ZS100 (20MP) and NEX-3N (16MP) and the ZS100 (1") and NEX-3N (APS-C) boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS100 was released 2 years later than the NEX-3N and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a concise summary of how the ZS100 matches up vs the NEX-3N with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 & Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic ZS100 Gallery & Sony NEX-3N Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS100 offers outer dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Sony NEX-3N has specifications of 110mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS100 and Sony NEX-3N in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the ZS100 versus the NEX-3N.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS100 and NEX-3N is 87 and 89 respectively.

Generally, its tough to see the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the ZS100 and NEX-3N.

As you can see, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The ZS100 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS100 will give you extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more modern ZS100 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.