Panasonic ZS1 vs Canon 1100D Comparison

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Panasonic ZS1

10 MP | 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) CCD Sensor

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Canon 1100D

12 MP | APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic ZS1 vs Canon 1100D Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic ZS1, which was introduced in May 2009 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 10.0MP 1/2.5-inch sensor whereas Canon 1100D, which was introduced in April 2011 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 12.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 23 months difference between ZS1 and 1100D so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger 1100D, 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 ZS1 and Canon 1100D before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic ZS1 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-05-14

10MP - 1/2.5-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

3 fps continuous shooting

- 640 x 480 video resolution

229g. 103 x 60 x 33 mm

Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ6

Canon 1100D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-04-13

12MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

495g. 130 x 100 x 78 mm

Also known as EOS Rebel T3 / EOS Kiss X50

Replaced Canon EOS 1000D Compare

Canon 1100D was replaced by Canon EOS 1200D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 1200D vs Canon EOS 1100D (EOS Rebel T3 / EOS Kiss X50)
Canon EOS 1200D vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 (Lumix DMC-TZ6)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic ZS1 and Canon 1100D compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 over Canon EOS 1100D

Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Number of Focus Points	11 vs 9	2 more focus points
Weight	229 g vs 495 g	266 g lighter

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 1100D over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1

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 Sensor Resolution	12 MP vs 10 MP	19% more pixels
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/2000s	faster mechanical shutter
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Flash Coverage	9.2m vs 5.3m	3.9m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	27.00µm² vs 2.48µm²	988% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720 vs 640 x 480	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Canon EOS 1100D

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Canon EOS 1100D

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size	2.7" vs 2.7"	Small display
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

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Panasonic ZS1 vs Canon 1100D: 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 ZS1 and Canon 1100D side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic ZS1 has external dimensions of 103 x 60 x 33 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.3″) and weighs 229 g (0.50 lb / 8.08 oz) (including batteries). Canon 1100D has external dimensions of 130 x 100 x 78 mm (5.12 x 3.94 x 3.07″) and weighs 495 g (1.09 lb / 17.46 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Canon 1100D. Panasonic ZS1 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 27mm narrower, 40mm shorter and 45mm thinner than Canon 1100D. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic ZS1 has a built-in lens but Canon 1100D doesn't. Once you put a lens on 1100D, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Canon 1100D Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Canon 1100D.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Canon 1100D 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 ZS1 is significantly lighter (266g ) than the Canon 1100D 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 1100D, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 (Lumix DMC-TZ6) nor Canon EOS 1100D (EOS Rebel T3 / EOS Kiss X50) provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic ZS1 and Canon 1100D's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 2.7".

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

Panasonic ZS1 vs Canon 1100D: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 has a 10.0MP 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Canon 1100D has a 12.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor.

Below you can see the ZS1 and 1100D sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Canon 1100D Cameras

As seen above, Canon 1100D has a 13.3x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS1. 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 ZS1 and Canon 1100D Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS1 and Canon 1100D 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 ZS1 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Canon 1100D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 1100D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Sports Photography

POOR

Canon 1100D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
300 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
Good Battery Life: 700 shots
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Canon 1100D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Compact Body
229g
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
495g
Body Thickness 78mm
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon 1100D for Landscape Photography

POOR

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 vs Canon 1100D: 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 ZS1 and Canon 1100D, 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 ZS1 and Canon 1100D scores compare:

Panasonic ZS1

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #378 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #1058 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Canon 1100D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #54 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #401 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Canon 1100D is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic ZS1 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Panasonic ZS1. Otherwise, Canon 1100D is the better camera overall.

Canon 1100D vs Panasonic ZS1 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1	Canon EOS 1100D
Brand	Panasonic	Canon
Announced	2009-05-14	2011-04-13
Body Type	Compact	Compact SLR
Sensor
Type	CCD	CMOS
Size	1/2.5-inch	APS-C
Dimensions	5.744 x 4.308 mm	22.2 x 14.8 mm
Area	24.74mm²	328.56mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	3648 x 2736	4272 x 2848
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	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	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Canon EF/EF-S
Lens Focal Range	25-300 mm (12×)	no lens
Max Aperture	F3.3-4.9	no lens
Macro Focus Range	3cm	no lens
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.7"	2.7"
Resolution	230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.5x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.30 m (Auto ISO)	9.20 m
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	3.0 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	H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	229g	495g
Dimensions	103 x 60 x 33mm	130 x 100 x 78mm
Battery Life	n/a	700 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	62
DxO Color Depth	not tested	21.9
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	11.0
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	755
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