CameraDecision
  • CAMERAS
  • LENSES
  • TOOLS
    • Smart Find
    • 1-on-1 Comparison
    • Size Comparison
  • BRANDS
    • Sony Cameras
    • Canon Cameras
    • Nikon Cameras
    • Pentax Cameras
    • Fujifilm Cameras
    • Olympus Cameras
    • Panasonic Cameras
    • Leica Cameras
    • Samsung Cameras
  • BODY TYPE
    • Mirrorless Cameras
    • DSLR Cameras
    • Compact Cameras
    • Bridge Cameras
    • Waterproof Cameras

Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR Comparison

x
Camera to replace
Change

Panasonic ZS3

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

Panasonic ZS3
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Change

Fujifilm F500 EXR

16 MP | 1/2" (6.4 x 4.8 mm) EXRCMOS Sensor

Fujifilm F500 EXR
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing ZS3 and F500 EXR, two Small Sensor Superzoom cameras from Panasonic and Fujifilm. Panasonic ZS3 has a 10.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Fujifilm F500 EXR has a 16.0MP 1/2-inch sensor. Panasonic ZS3 was introduced to market in May 2009 and Fujifilm F500 EXR was launched in January 2011. There is 20 months difference between ZS3 and F500 EXR so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger F500 EXR, especially in sensor tech.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic ZS3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-05-14
  • 10MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 2 fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 229g. 103 x 60 x 33 mm
  • Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ7

Fujifilm F500 EXR Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-01-05
  • 16MP - 1/2-inch EXRCMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 3200 ( expands to 12800)
  • 24-360 mm F3.5-5.3 Zoom Lens
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 320fps High-Speed Video
  • 215g. 104 x 63 x 33 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 over Fujifilm FinePix F500 EXR
Max ISO
6.400 vs 3.200 100% higher Max ISO
Max Aperture - Wide
3.30 vs 3.50 faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele
4.90 vs 5.30 faster lens at tele
Flash Coverage
5.3m vs 3.2m 2.1m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
2.78µm2 vs 1.93µm2 44% larger pixel area


Reasons to choose Fujifilm FinePix F500 EXR over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 10 MP 60% more pixels
Continuous Shooting
3.0fps vs 2.0fps 1 fps faster
Weight
215 g vs 229 g 14 g lighter
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Focal Length - Wide
24mm vs 25mm 1 mm wider coverage
Focal Length - Tele
360mm vs 300mm 60 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom
15× vs 12× more flexible focal coverage
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Fujifilm FinePix F500 EXR
Image Stabilization
Optical vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Focal Length - Tele
300mm vs 360mm Very good Telezoom
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Fujifilm FinePix F500 EXR
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
RAW Support
No vs No Lower image quality
LCD Screen Resolution
460k dots vs 460k dots Low resolution screens
Manual Focusing
No vs No No manual focusing modes
Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR: 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 ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic ZS3 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). Fujifilm F500 EXR has external dimensions of 104 x 63 x 33 mm (4.09 x 2.48 x 1.3″) and weighs 215 g (0.47 lb / 7.58 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR.
Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Fujifilm F500 EXR is 14g lighter than the Panasonic ZS3 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

ZS3
F500 EXR
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

ZS3
F500 EXR
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 (Lumix DMC-TZ7) nor Fujifilm FinePix F500 EXR 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

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 has a 10.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Fujifilm F500 EXR has a 16.0MP 1/2-inch (6.4 x 4.8 mm ) sized EXRCMOS sensor and features EXR processor.

Fujifilm F500 EXR's sensor provides 6MP more than Panasonic ZS3's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the ZS3 and F500 EXR sensor size comparison.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR Cameras


As seen above, Fujifilm F500 EXR has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS3. 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.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR Lens Specs Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 features a 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 12× zoom lens whereas Fujifilm F500 EXR features a 24-360 mm F3.5-5.3 15× zoom lens.

Fujifilm F500 EXR has 1mm wider coverage than the Panasonic ZS3. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f3.30, Panasonic ZS3 is faster at widest end. On the tele end, Fujifilm F500 EXR has 60mm longer telezoom reach than the Panasonic ZS3. However, with a max aperture of f4.90, Panasonic ZS3 is faster at widest end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

ZS3
F500 EXR
Widest - Ricoh WG-M1
Average
Telezoom

Compact Cameras

ZS3
F500 EXR
Longest - Canon SX520 HS
Average
Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

ZS3
F500 EXR
Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV
Average
Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

ZS3
F500 EXR
Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6
Average
What types of Photography are Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR 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 ZS3 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Fujifilm F500 EXR for Portrait Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 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
Image Stabilization
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2" (6.4 x 4.8 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

Panasonic ZS3 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Fujifilm F500 EXR for Street Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
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
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2" (6.4 x 4.8 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Sports Photography

POOR

Fujifilm F500 EXR for Sports Photography

POOR
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: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Manual Exposure Mode
360 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
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Unknown Focus Points
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Fujifilm F500 EXR for Daily Photography

GOOD
Compact Body
229g
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Compact Body
215g
15.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2" (6.4 x 4.8 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Fujifilm F500 EXR for Landscape Photography

POOR
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 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
Manual Exposure Mode
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2" (6.4 x 4.8 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 vs Fujifilm F500 EXR: 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 ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR, 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 ZS3 and Fujifilm F500 EXR scores compare:

Panasonic ZS3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #342 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #996 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Fujifilm F500 EXR
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #172 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #722 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Fujifilm F500 EXR has a higher Overall Score than the Panasonic ZS3 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Panasonic ZS3
Panasonic ZS3
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Fujifilm F500 EXR
Fujifilm F500 EXR
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Fujifilm F500 EXR vs Panasonic ZS3 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Fujifilm FinePix F500 EXR
Brand Panasonic Fujifilm
Announced 2009-05-14 2011-01-05
Body Type Compact Compact
Sensor
Type CCD EXRCMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch 1/2-inch
Dimensions 6.08 x 4.56 mm 6.4 x 4.8 mm
Area 27.72mm2 30.72mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 3,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 12800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 80 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 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens Focal Range 25-300 mm (12×) 24-360 mm (15×)
Max Aperture F3.3-4.9 F3.5-5.3
Macro Focus Range 3cm 5cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 460k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/2000s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Optical Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.30 m (Auto ISO) 3.20 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 2.0 fps 3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720 1920 x 1080
Video Formats AVCHD Lite MPEG-4
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 229g 215g
Dimensions 103 x 60 x 33mm 104 x 63 x 33mm
Battery Life n/a n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
Report a correction Report a correction


FOLLOW US


Most Popular Cameras
Nikon Z7
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Sony A6000
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Sony A7 III
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Fujifilm X-T3
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Canon R
30 MP | Full frame Sensor | Canon RF Mount
Sony A6400
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Nikon D5600
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Nikon D850
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Top Rated Compact Cameras
Top Cameras Under $200
Top Compact Cameras Under $500
Top Compact Cameras Under $750
Top Compact Cameras Under $1000
Latest Cameras
Fujifilm GFX 100S
102 MP | Medium format Sensor | Fujifilm G Mount
Fujifilm X-E4
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Sony a1
50 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Leica SL2-S
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Leica Q2 Monochrom
47 MP | Full frame Sensor | 28 mm
Fujifilm X-S10
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Nikon Z7 II
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Nikon Z6 II
25 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Copyright © 2021 by CameraDecision
About Feedback Privacy Cameras

Report a Correction