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Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II

Portability
91
Imaging
33
Features
30
Overall
31
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II front
Portability
58
Imaging
52
Features
77
Overall
62

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II 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
  • Introduced May 2009
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ7
Sony RX10 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Introduced June 2015
  • Replaced the Sony RX10
  • Refreshed by Sony RX10 III
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II Overview

The following is a thorough review of the Panasonic ZS3 and Sony RX10 II, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the ZS3 (10MP) and RX10 II (20MP) and the ZS3 (1/2.3") and RX10 II (1") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The ZS3 was manufactured 7 years earlier than the RX10 II which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS3 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple overview of how the ZS3 grades against the RX10 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS3 over the Sony RX10 II

 ZS3 RX10 II 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 II over the Panasonic ZS3

 RX10 II ZS3 
IntroducedJune 2015May 2009Newer by 73 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k460kSharper display (+769k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS3 and Sony RX10 II

 ZS3 RX10 II 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch display Neither features Touch display

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic ZS3 enjoys physical 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 Sony RX10 II has dimensions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic ZS3 and Sony RX10 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the ZS3 versus the RX10 II.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS3 and RX10 II is 91 and 58 respectively.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions just by checking technical specs. The image underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS3 and RX10 II.

As you can tell, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The ZS3 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Sony RX10 II will give you greater detail due to its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged ZS3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS3
Portrait photography with Sony RX10 II
19
lack of manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
71
has manual focus
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
features face detection focus
exports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 as a Street photography camera
Sony RX10 II as a Street photography camera
60
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229g)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
72
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
weather sealing
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Sports photography info
Sony RX10 II Sports photography info
24
image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
68
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic ZS3
Travel photography with Sony RX10 II
63
lighter than competition (229g)
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
very long reach (300mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
MP count low (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
56
weather sealing
decent MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (24mm)
no Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic ZS3
Landscape photography with Sony RX10 II
35
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse mode
62
has manual focus
really wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
exports RAW files
weather sealing
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 Vlogging information
Sony RX10 II Vlogging information
30
rather wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (229 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone jack
31
really wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone jack
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony RX10 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS3 and Sony RX10 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Also called as Lumix DMC-TZ7 -
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2009-05-14 2015-06-10
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 125
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-300mm (12.0x) 24-200mm (8.3x)
Largest aperture f/3.3-4.9 f/2.8
Macro focus range 3cm 3cm
Crop factor 5.9 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0fps 14.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.30 m (Auto ISO) 10.20 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format AVCHD Lite MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 229 gr (0.50 pounds) 813 gr (1.79 pounds)
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 70
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.6
DXO Low light score not tested 531
Other
Battery life - 400 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $200 $998