Updated (September, 2011): Compare the Canon Powershot SX40 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

47

"HD image quality is excellent and the stereo mics do a good job of picking up voices at distances of up to several metres."
cameralabs.com | talking about the SX30 IS's video-quality
"The PowerShot SX30 IS is a super-zoom truly worthy of the name. It will, without doubt, prove even more popular than its predecessors."
cameralabs.com | talking about the SX30 IS's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Aperture
Wide aperture
f/2.7
Zoom
Great zoom
35x
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Viewfinder
Great viewfinder
Digital
External flash
External flash
Better lighting
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

40

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

Size
Really small
Compact 103x60x33 mm
Light sensitivity (boost)
High ISO (boost)
6,400 ISO
Thickness
Thin
1.3"
Weight
Light-weight
229 g
Longest exposure
Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Canon SX30 IS

Zoom Much more zoom 35x vs 12x
Help
More than 8.5x more zoom
Aperture Significantly wider aperture f/2.7 vs f/3.3
Help
At its widest zoom, the SX30 IS's lens captures slightly more light (0.6 f-stops)
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Wide angle Better wide angle 24 mm vs 25 mm
Help
Almost the same
Macro focus Better macro capability 0 cm vs 3 cm
Help
Almost the same
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 9.8 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/3200s vs 1/2000s
Help
Around 40% faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Learn more about
the Canon SX30 IS

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-ZS3

Size Much smaller 103x60x33 mm vs 123x92x108 mm
Help
6x smaller
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
More than 10% larger screen
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 460k dots vs 230k dots
Help
2x higher resolution screen
Thickness Much thinner 1.3" vs 4.3"
Help
3.3x thinner
Weight Much lighter 229 g vs 601 g
Help
2.6x lighter
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
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 2.3 fps vs 1.1 fps
Help
More than 2x faster continuous shooting
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-ZS3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digicams, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Canon PowerShot SX30 IS
47 vs 40
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a super zoom with a travel zoom.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Wide angle Good wide angle Help
SX30 IS:24 mm
DMC-ZS3:25 mm
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
720p @ 30fps

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380

Movie format Records higher quality movies
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon Coolpix P510

Super zoom

$397 - $400

Zoom Has much more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$390 - $496

Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Super zoom

$742

Lowest price Is much more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Super zoom

$499 - $500

Movie format Records higher quality movies
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$300

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Aperture Significantly narrower aperture
Image stabilization Worse image stabilization
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Super zoom

$409

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Super zoom

$299 - $335

Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Size Larger
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Super zoom

$611

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Zoom Much less zoom
Wide angle Worse wide angle
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$180 - $229

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Size Significantly smaller
Zoom Much less zoom
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20

Panasonic Lumix ZS20

Travel zoom

$290 - $350

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom More zoom
True resolution Lower true resolution
Longest exposure Much shorter max exposures
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10

Travel zoom

$328

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5

Travel zoom

$298

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

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Travel zoom

$361

GPS Has a GPS
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8

Travel zoom

$161 - $271

Zoom More zoom
Wide angle Better wide angle
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen

appearance

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

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