Panasonic FX48 vs Nikon D3S Comparison

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Panasonic FX48

12 MP | 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) CCD Sensor

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Nikon D3S

12 MP | Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic FX48 vs Nikon D3S Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic FX48, which was introduced in January 2009 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Nikon D3S, which was introduced in February 2010 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 12.0MP Full frame sensor. There is 13 months difference between FX48 and D3S so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger D3S, especially in sensor tech.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic FX48 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-01-27

12MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200 ( expands to 6400)

25-125 mm F2.8-5.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

2 fps continuous shooting

- 640 x 480 video resolution

150g. 95 x 53 x 22 mm

Also known as Lumix DMC-FX40

Nikon D3S Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2010-02-16

12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 12800 ( expands to 100-102400)

Nikon F Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

11 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

1240g. 160 x 157 x 88 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Nikon D3 Compare

Nikon D3S was replaced by Nikon D4. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D4 vs Nikon D3S
Nikon D4 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 (Lumix DMC-FX40)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 over Nikon D3S

Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Weight	150 g vs 1240 g	1090 g lighter

Reasons to choose Nikon D3S over Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Optical vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max ISO	12.800 vs 3.200	300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	51 vs 11	40 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.5"	0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	921k dots vs 230k dots	300% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/3000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	11.0fps vs 2.0fps	9 fps faster
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Sensor Pixel Area	71.40µm² vs 2.31µm²	2990% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720 vs 640 x 480	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 and Nikon D3S

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 and Nikon D3S

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles

Panasonic FX48 vs Nikon D3S: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic FX48 has external dimensions of 95 x 53 x 22 mm (3.74 x 2.09 x 0.87″) and weighs 150 g (0.33 lb / 5.29 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D3S has external dimensions of 160 x 157 x 88 mm (6.3 x 6.18 x 3.46″) and weighs 1240 g (2.73 lb / 43.74 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S. Panasonic FX48 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 65mm narrower, 104mm shorter and 66mm thinner than Nikon D3S. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic FX48 has a built-in lens but Nikon D3S doesn't. Once you put a lens on D3S, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S.

Comparison image of Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S Size and Weight - Back View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic FX48 is significantly lighter (1090g ) than the Nikon D3S which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on D3S, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of D3S, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to FX48.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D3S's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Panasonic FX48's 2.5" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Panasonic FX48 vs Nikon D3S: Sensor Comparison

Both Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Panasonic FX48's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) and Nikon D3S's sensor is Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ).

Since Nikon D3S's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Panasonic FX48.

Below you can see the FX48 and D3S sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S Cameras

As seen above, Nikon D3S has a 31.0x Larger sensor area than Panasonic FX48. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic FX48 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Nikon D3S for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3S for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 for Sports Photography

POOR

Nikon D3S for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
Average Max shutter speed: 1/3000s
125 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
15 Cross Type Focus sensors
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 4200 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3S for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
150g
Body Thickness 22mm
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1240g
Body Thickness 88mm
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon D3S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 vs Nikon D3S: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic FX48 and Nikon D3S scores compare:

Panasonic FX48

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #299 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #930 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon D3S

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #9 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #233 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon D3S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic FX48 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Panasonic FX48. Otherwise, Nikon D3S is the better camera overall.

Nikon D3S vs Panasonic FX48 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48	Nikon D3S
Brand	Panasonic	Nikon
Announced	2009-01-27	2010-02-16
Body Type	Compact	Large SLR
Sensor
Type	CCD	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	Full frame
Dimensions	6.08 x 4.56 mm	36 x 23.9 mm
Area	27.72mm²	860.40mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	4000 x 3000	4256 x 2832
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	6400 ISO	102400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 ISO	200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	11	51
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Nikon F
Lens Focal Range	25-125 mm (5×)	no lens
Max Aperture	F2.8-5.9	no lens
Macro Focus Range	5cm	no lens
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.5"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/3000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	6.00 m	no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps	11.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	640 x 480	1280 x 720
Video Formats	Motion JPEG	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	150g	1240g
Dimensions	95 x 53 x 22mm	160 x 157 x 88mm
Battery Life	n/a	4200 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	82
DxO Color Depth	not tested	23.5
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	12.0
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	3253
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