Canon PowerShot
SD1200 IS
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-ZS3

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS

48

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS

Size
 Really small
Super compact 86x55x22 mm
Thickness
 Thin
0.9"
Weight
 Light-weight
120 g
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Tunnel
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

47

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
6,400 ISO
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Canon SD1200 IS
Size Much smaller 86x55x22 mm vs 103x60x33 mm
Help
 Around 50% smaller
Aperture Wider aperture f/2.8 vs f/3.3
Help
 At its widest zoom, the SD1200 IS's lens captures marginally more light (0.5 f-stops)
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Tunnel vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Weight Much lighter 120 g vs 229 g
Help
 Around 50% lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 0.9" vs 1.3"
Help
 More than 30% thinner
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 9.8 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Learn more about
the Canon SD1200 IS

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-ZS3
Wide angle Much better wide angle 25 mm vs 35 mm
Help
 Around 30% better wide angle
Zoom Significantly more zoom 12x vs 3x
Help
 16x more zoom
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 460k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 2x higher resolution screen
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
 4x longer exposures
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/2000s vs 1/1500s
Help
 More than 20% faster max shutter speed
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-ZS3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent compacts, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS
48 vs 47
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a compact with a travel zoom.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot SD1200 IS
 Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
PanasonicLumix DMC-ZS3
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
0
Vote Vote
Features Low light image quality Low light image quality
Lack of noise, sharp details
0
0
Vote Vote
Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
0
Vote Vote
Performance Image stabilization
Ability to reduce blur from hand shake
0
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent compacts

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
3 cm
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3
Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS

Pro digicam

$294
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Weight Is significantly heavier
Wide angle Has a slightly narrower wide angle lens
Compare the PowerShot SD4000 IS vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Compare the PowerShot SD4000 IS vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3
Canon ELPH 300 HS

Canon ELPH 300 HS

Compact

$145 - $235
Movie format Records higher quality movies
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the ELPH 300 HS vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Compare the ELPH 300 HS vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Travel zoom

$289 - $328
Zoom Has significantly more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$359 - $369
Aperture Has a significantly wider aperture
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Travel zoom

$219 - $304
Zoom Has slightly more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the PowerShot SX230 HS vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Compare the PowerShot SX230 HS vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon ELPH 100 HS

Canon ELPH 100 HS

Compact

$109 - $189
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Viewfinder No viewfinder
True resolution Slightly lower true resolution
Compare the ELPH 100 HS vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS

Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS

Compact

$178
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Screen size Larger screen
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Size Slightly larger
Compare the PowerShot SD1300 IS vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Canon PowerShot SD780 IS

Canon PowerShot SD780 IS

Ultra compact
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Better wide angle
Aperture Narrower aperture
Weight Heavier
Compare the PowerShot SD780 IS vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS

Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS

Ultra compact

$225
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Weight Heavier
Compare the PowerShot SD1400 IS vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS
Canon ELPH 310 HS

Canon ELPH 310 HS

Travel zoom

$199
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Much better wide angle
Aperture Narrower aperture
Size Larger
Compare the ELPH 310 HS vs the PowerShot SD1200 IS

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10

Travel zoom

$196 - $328
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom Significantly more zoom
Compare the Lumix DMC-ZS10 vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

Travel zoom

$235 - $298
Size Slightly smaller
Weight Lighter
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen
Compare the Lumix DMC-ZS5 vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8

Travel zoom

$170 - $271
Zoom Significantly more zoom
Wide angle Better wide angle
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen
Compare the Lumix DMC-ZS8 vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Travel zoom

$285 - $361
GPS Has a GPS
Weight Lighter
Compare the Lumix DMC-ZS7 vs the Lumix DMC-ZS3

appearance

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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