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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1

Portability
91
Imaging
32
Features
30
Overall
31
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
 
Pentax XG-1 front
Portability
66
Imaging
40
Features
37
Overall
38

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-300mm (F3.3-4.9) lens
  • 229g - 103 x 60 x 33mm
  • Announced May 2009
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-TZ7
Pentax XG-1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1248mm (F2.8-5.6) lens
  • 567g - 119 x 89 x 98mm
  • Revealed July 2014
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 Overview

The following is a extended assessment of the Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There is a substantial difference between the resolutions of the ZS3 (10MP) and XG-1 (16MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The ZS3 was announced 6 years earlier than the XG-1 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera and the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the ZS3 grades vs the XG-1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Pentax XG-1

 ZS3 XG-1 

Reasons to pick Pentax XG-1 over the Panasonic ZS3

 XG-1 ZS3 
RevealedJuly 2014May 2009Newer by 62 months
Manual focus More accurate focus

Common features in the Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax XG-1

 ZS3 XG-1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Display resolution460k460kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic ZS3 comes with external measurements of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Pentax XG-1 has sizing of 119mm x 89mm x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") and a weight of 567 grams (1.25 lbs).

Check the Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the ZS3 compared to the XG-1.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS3 and XG-1 is 91 and 66 respectively.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions only by going over technical specs. The picture here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS3 and XG-1.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Pentax XG-1 to deliver extra detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged ZS3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Portrait photography information
Pentax XG-1 Portrait photography information
19
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
40
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Street photography info
Pentax XG-1 Street photography info
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (229g)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
more heavy than competition (567 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography information
Pentax XG-1 Sports photography information
24
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max fps low (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
45
excellent zoom range (24-1248mm 52.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery (240 shots)
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax XG-1 as a Travel photography camera
62
lighter than average (229 grams)
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
long zoom (300mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
52
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
long reach (1248mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery (240 CIPA)
more heavy than competition (567g)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax XG-1 Landscape photography highlights
35
decently wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not available
low megapixels (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
45
focusing manually
really wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
low battery (240 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging details
Pentax XG-1 Vlogging details
29
decently wide (25mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (229 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone port
25
really wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of microphone jack
more heavy than competition (567g)
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Pentax XG-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS3 and Pentax XG-1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3Pentax XG-1
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Pentax XG-1
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-TZ7 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Announced 2009-05-14 2014-07-15
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD BSI-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 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-300mm (12.0x) 24-1248mm (52.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.3-4.9 f/2.8-5.6
Macro focusing range 3cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 200k dot
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0fps 9.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.30 m (Auto ISO) 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Force Off, Flash Auto, Force Flash, Slow Sync., Slow Sync. + Red-Eye, Red-Eye Reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (120 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD Lite Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 229g (0.50 pounds) 567g (1.25 pounds)
Physical dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 119 x 89 x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 - 240 photos
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID - LB-060
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $200 $599