Panasonic SZ3

Panasonic SZ3 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Compact camera first launched on January of 2013. The camera has a 16MP, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a max resolution of 4608 x 3456.

The SZ3 is placed #86 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras and overall #904 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. You should use our Advanced camera filter to see camera results based on your personal factors.

Below is a graph of multiple factors used in the rating system.

The Panasonic SZ3 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can view the complete range underneath.

You can see the SZ3 from different angles in the gallery here.

Below is a selection of good and bad points of the Panasonic SZ3 based on features which are generally considered important in a camera.

The sensor spec in the Panasonic SZ3 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can capture 4608 x 3456 pixels . The camera has got Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is superior than digital stabilization as the latter may cause cropping.

Photography Glossary

The CCD sensor boasts 16MP and has a native ISO range of 100 - 6400. Unfortunately, RAW format is not saved which means that the user has less room to maneuver in post.

The image underneath shows the SZ3's sensor dimensions when compared to other common sizes. The SZ3 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is pointed out in green.

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To get a sense of different aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Panasonic SZ3 is 0.28 lbs (126g / 4.44 oz) and features outside proportions of 95mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9"). The weight of typical Small Sensor Compact camera is 174g so the Panasonic SZ3 is less heavy when compared with its competitors.

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Underneath is a image of the Panasonic SZ3 alongside a softdrink to help you to have a sense of its scale.

The top view just below will show you the button layout on the SZ3.

The SZ3 has an inbuilt lens providing a focal range of 25-250mm making it a 10.0 x zoom which is not at all exceptional nevertheless it would certainly be invaluable in a few cases.

At the widest 25mm, the lens provides an aperture of f3.1 making it very slow and not good in low light occasions and you will likely find it hard to capture a shallow depth of field. You might also need to boost the ISO which causes noisy files. With the tele end, 250mm is incredible zoom and comes at f5.9 which is really slow and you will need to use slow shutter speeds.

The SZ3 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes

Digital cameras that incorporate NFC or Bluetooth connectivity are able to be controlled wirelessly via smartphones. You can easily transfer photos and oftentimes alter camera settings without connecting straight to the camera.

Several applications even give a Liveview and hit the shutter whenever you are not near the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI out, it can easily be connected to an external monitor. Almost all cameras enable you to recharge the battery pack through the USB socket.

The max video quality in the Panasonic SZ3 is 1280 x 720 and it can capture in Motion JPEG format. 720p is awful by today's requirements. You really should shoot for at least 1080p quality for video recording. The camera does not have a mic or headphone socket which means you have got no control over your audio. It is perhaps best to take a look at a different model in case you need good audio in your video clips.

Panasonic SZ3 does not include environment sealing so damp conditions can easily affect the camera.

The Panasonic SZ3 has a 2.7 inch fixed display boasting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the display is not a touch screen.

Photography Glossary

The ViewFinder details regarding Panasonic SZ3 are below:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are pretty useful during sunny outdoor conditions which will make the camera display washed out and difficult to view.

Panasonic SZ3 continuous shooting rate is 1.0 fps. The maximum shutter speed is 1/1600 sec.

Panasonic SZ3 has got only integrated flash lacking external flash support.

Panasonic SZ3 has got just Contrast Detect Auto Focus and is missing Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot faster & accurate when compared with Contrast Detect focusing.

It has 23 focus points to choose from. It also includes Tracking Auto Focus for moving things. Panasonic SZ3 lacks manual focus. Manual focus mode is useful during low light or you need to have more accurate focus control.

The battery pack on the Panasonic SZ3 is made to last for 250 images based on the CIPA measurements which is comparable with its competition. The usual Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 features the maximum (470) battery life within this type of cameras.

Following is a number of Small Sensor Compact cameras having the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm X30
SZ3 vs Fujifilm X30470 yesnono

Casio EX-10
SZ3 vs EX-10455 yesnono

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Ricoh GR Digital IV
SZ3 vs GR Digital IV390 yesnono

Canon G12
SZ3 vs G12370 yesnono

Canon G16
SZ3 vs G16360 yesnono

The following chart presents a summary of the Panasonic SZ3 for specific forms of photography. To check out more, check out the specific section underneath.

The Panasonic SZ3 has a points total of 30 which is awful, meaning that it is not suitable for portrait images. Shooting portrait images favors heavily to sensor specs, RAW support along with the ability to work with off-camera flash.

Coming in at a nice score of 64, the Panasonic SZ3 is a good pick for street photography. A good street photography camera has a good balance of image quality plus portability.

A awful sports photography score of 41 suggests the Panasonic SZ3 is not suitable for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have fantastic autofocus plus fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Portability is really crucial when picking a travel camera. In general, the Panasonic SZ3 gets a above average 71 as a travel camera which is a good choice to take with you on your journeys.

If you're looking to purchase a camera for landscape photos, the biggest aspect will be image quality. The Panasonic SZ3 at it's awful score of 39 for a landscape camera is not suitable in the current market.

A vlogging camera preferably should posses a articulating screen, mic input and preferably IBIS. Considering everything, the Panasonic SZ3 is not suitable as a vlog camera as it delivers a awful score of 31.

If you are looking for replacements to the SZ3, below is a range of the highest ranked cameras that fall within the class of Small Sensor Compact.

The chart underneath gives you a summary of the SZ3 vs it's highest scoring competitors shown earlier.

Following are additional cameras you may take into account as alternatives. To read through a complete comparison, just click on the "compare" link.