Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony NEX-F3

Its time to look more in depth at the Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony NEX-F3, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the ZS30 (18MP) and the NEX-F3 (16MP) is pretty comparable but the ZS30 (1/2.3") and NEX-F3 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The ZS30 was launched 5 months after the NEX-F3 and they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic ZS30 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-F3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple view of how the ZS30 matches up versus the NEX-F3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 and Sony Alpha NEX-F3. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic ZS30 Gallery and Sony NEX-F3 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS30 comes with outside measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 198 grams (0.44 lbs) while the Sony NEX-F3 has specifications of 117mm x 67mm x 42mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 314 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS30 vs Sony NEX-F3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the ZS30 compared to the NEX-F3.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the ZS30 and NEX-F3 is 92 and 86 respectively.

Often, it is hard to see the gap in sensor dimensions merely by seeing a spec sheet. The image below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS30 and NEX-F3.

As you can see, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The ZS30 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic ZS30 will show extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively.