recommendations

Relative to the best recent compacts, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS
65 vs 71
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. 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.

differences

Reasons to consider the Canon SD1200 IS

Size Much smaller 86x55x22 mm vs 103x60x33 mm
Help
Around 2x 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)
Weight Much lighter 120 g vs 229 g
Help
More than 90% lighter
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Tunnel vs None
Help
A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Thickness Much thinner 0.9" vs 1.3"
Help
50% thinner
Lowest price Cheaper $137.99 vs $286.95
Help
The best price we've seen is $149 cheaper (more than 2x less)
True resolution Slightly higher resolution 9.8 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
Almost the same
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Learn more about
the Canon SD1200 IS

Reasons to consider the Panasonic DMC-ZS3

Zoom Much more zoom 12x vs 3x
Help
16x more zoom
Wide-angle Much better wide-angle 25 mm vs 35 mm
Help
40% better wide-angle
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
Continuous shooting Supports continuous shooting 2.3 fps vs None
Help
Allows taking many pictures in rapid succession
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
4x longer exposures
Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed 1/2000s vs 1/1500s
Help
More than 30% faster max shutter speed
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-ZS3
vs

similarities

Compared to recent compacts

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
3 cm
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20

Travel zoom

$145 - $200

Wide-angle Has a significantly wider wide-angle lens
Size Is significantly smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Canon PowerShot SD940 IS

Canon PowerShot SD940 IS

Ultra compact

$172 - $263

Wide-angle Has a significantly wider wide-angle lens
Aperture Has a slightly wider aperture
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Wide-angle Has a slightly narrower wide-angle lens

Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon Coolpix S3000

Nikon Coolpix S3000

Compact

$105 - $150

Wide-angle Significantly better wide-angle
Screen size Larger screen
Aperture Narrower aperture
Macro focus Significantly worse macro capability
Canon PowerShot A3100 IS

Canon PowerShot A3100 IS

Compact

$149 - $180

Screen size Larger screen
Aperture Slightly wider aperture
Size Significantly larger
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS

Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS

Ultra compact

$225 - $250

Wide-angle Significantly better wide-angle
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Weight Heavier
Canon PowerShot SD780 IS

Canon PowerShot SD780 IS

Ultra compact

$149 - $265

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide-angle Better wide-angle
Aperture Narrower aperture
Weight Significantly heavier
Canon PowerShot A1100 IS

Canon PowerShot A1100 IS

Compact

$136

Aperture Slightly wider aperture
Zoom Slightly more zoom
Size Much larger
Thickness Much thicker

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

Travel zoom

$222 - $300

Size Slightly smaller
Weight Lighter
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Travel zoom

$275 - $400

GPS Has a GPS
Weight Lighter
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3

Travel zoom

$209 - $300

Size Significantly smaller
Weight Much lighter
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Canon PowerShot S90

Canon PowerShot S90

Pro digicam

$340 - $391

Aperture Much wider aperture
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Zoom Much less zoom
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS

Canon PowerShot SX210 IS

Travel zoom

$329 - $350

Zoom Significantly more zoom
Aperture Wider aperture
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen
Size Larger

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

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