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Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon 1 J3 Comparison

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Panasonic ZS1

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

Panasonic ZS1
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Nikon 1 J3

14 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J3
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Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon 1 J3 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 Nikon 1 J3, which was introduced in November 2013 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 14.0MP 1-inch sensor. As you can see, ZS1 is 4 years older than 1 J3. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky 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 Nikon 1 J3 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

Nikon 1 J3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-11-30
  • 14MP - 1-inch CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 15 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 1200fps High-Speed Video
  • 201g. 101 x 61 x 29 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J2 Compare

Nikon 1 J3 was replaced by Nikon 1 J4. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon 1 J3
Nikon 1 J4 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 Nikon 1 J3 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 over Nikon 1 J3
Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits


Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J3 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
14 MP vs 10 MP 39% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
135 vs 11 124 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
15.0fps vs 3.0fps 12 fps faster
Weight
201 g vs 229 g 28 g lighter
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Sensor Pixel Area
8.20µm2 vs 2.48µm2 230% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 640 x 480 Higher Resolution Video

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Nikon 1 J3
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Nikon 1 J3
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
External Flash Shoe
No vs No Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder
None vs None No eye-level shooting option
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon 1 J3: 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 Nikon 1 J3 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). Nikon 1 J3 has external dimensions of 101 x 61 x 29 mm (3.98 x 2.4 x 1.14″) and weighs 201 g (0.44 lb / 7.09 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon 1 J3. Nikon 1 J3 is 2mm narrower and 4mm thinner than Panasonic ZS1 but it is also 1mm taller. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic ZS1 has a built-in lens but Nikon 1 J3 doesn't. Once you put a lens on 1 J3, its thickness will increase significantly.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon 1 J3 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon 1 J3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J3 is 28g lighter than the Panasonic ZS1 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

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 1 J3, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 (Lumix DMC-TZ6) nor Nikon 1 J3 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 Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon 1 J3's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Panasonic ZS1's 2.7" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon 1 J3: 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, Nikon 1 J3 has a 14.0MP 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the ZS1 and 1 J3 sensor size comparison.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon 1 J3 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon 1 J3 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon 1 J3 has a 4.7x 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 Nikon 1 J3 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon 1 J3 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

Nikon 1 J3 for Portrait Photography

POOR
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
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon 1 J3 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
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Sports Photography

POOR

Nikon 1 J3 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
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
Fast Continuous Shooting: 15.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
41 Cross Type Focus sensors
135 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon 1 J3 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
201g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon 1 J3 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
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon 1 J3: 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 Nikon 1 J3, 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 Nikon 1 J3 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
Nikon 1 J3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #96 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #417 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J3 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic ZS1 in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Panasonic ZS1
Panasonic ZS1
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Nikon 1 J3
Nikon 1 J3
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Nikon 1 J3 vs Panasonic ZS1 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 Nikon 1 J3
Brand Panasonic Nikon
Announced 2009-05-14 2013-11-30
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size 1/2.5-inch 1-inch
Dimensions 5.744 x 4.308 mm 13.2 x 8.8 mm
Area 24.74mm2 116.16mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 14 megapixels
Max Resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3072
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 160 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 11 135
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Nikon 1
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" 3"
Resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter n/a 1/16000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.30 m (Auto ISO) 5.00 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/60s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 15.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 640 x 480 1920 x 1080
Video Formats Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 229g 201g
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm 101 x 61 x 29mm
Battery Life n/a 220 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 52
DxO Color Depth not tested 20.4
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.0
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 420
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