Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony H55 Comparison

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Panasonic ZS3

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

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Sony H55

14 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

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Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony H55 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Compact cameras from Panasonic and Sony. Panasonic ZS3 was introduced to market in May 2009 and Sony H55 was launched in June 2010. There is 13 months difference between ZS3 and H55 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger H55, especially in sensor tech.

Both cameras have 1/2.3-inch sensors but Panasonic ZS3 has a 10.0 MP and Sony H55 has a 14.0 MP resolution.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55 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

Sony H55 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2010-06-16

14MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200

25-250 mm F3.5-5.5 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

10 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

200g. 103 x 58 x 29 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 over Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55

Max ISO	6.400 vs 3.200	100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	11 vs 9	2 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/2000s vs 1/1600s	faster mechanical shutter
Focal Length - Tele	300mm vs 250mm	50 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	12× vs 10×	more flexible focal coverage
Max Aperture - Wide	3.30 vs 3.50	faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele	4.90 vs 5.50	faster lens at tele
Flash Coverage	5.3m vs 3.8m	1.5m longer range

Reasons to choose Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

Max Sensor Resolution	14 MP vs 10 MP	39% more pixels
Continuous Shooting	10.0fps vs 2.0fps	8 fps faster
Weight	200 g vs 229 g	29 g lighter

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55

Image Stabilization	Optical vs Optical	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Focal Length - Tele	300mm vs 250mm	Very good Telezoom

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55

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 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Manual Focusing	No vs No	No manual focusing modes
Manual Exposure	No vs No	No manual exposure control
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony H55: 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 Sony H55 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). Sony H55 has external dimensions of 103 x 58 x 29 mm (4.06 x 2.28 x 1.14″) and weighs 200 g (0.44 lb / 7.05 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55.

Top View Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony H55 is 29g lighter than the Panasonic ZS3 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

ZS3

H55

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

ZS3

H55

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 (Lumix DMC-TZ7) nor Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 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 Sony H55'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 Sony H55: 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, Sony H55 has a 14.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Bionz processor.

Below you can see the ZS3 and H55 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55 Cameras

Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55 have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony H55 Lens Specs Comparison

Panasonic ZS3 features a 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 12× zoom lens whereas Sony H55 features a 25-250 mm F3.5-5.5 10× zoom lens.

Both cameras have a wide angle coverage of 25mm. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f3.30, Panasonic ZS3 is faster than Sony H55 at this focal length. On the tele end, Panasonic ZS3 has 50mm longer reach than the Sony H55. At f4.90, it is also faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

ZS3

H55

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

ZS3

H55

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

ZS3

H55

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

ZS3

H55

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS3 and Sony H55 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

Sony H55 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
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
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

Panasonic ZS3 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Sony H55 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

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
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Sports Photography

POOR

Sony H55 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
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
250 mm Tele Lens
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
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1600s
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony H55 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
200g
10.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony H55 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

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic ZS3 vs Sony H55: 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 Sony H55, 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 Sony H55 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

Sony H55

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #387 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #1067 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Panasonic ZS3 has a higher Overall Score than the Sony H55 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Sony H55 vs Panasonic ZS3 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55
Brand	Panasonic	Sony
Announced	2009-05-14	2010-06-16
Body Type	Compact	Compact
Sensor
Type	CCD	CCD
Size	1/2.3-inch	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	6.08 x 4.56 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	27.72mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	14 megapixels
Max Resolution	3648 x 2736	4320 x 3240
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 ISO	80 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	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	25-300 mm (12×)	25-250 mm (10×)
Max Aperture	F3.3-4.9	F3.5-5.5
Macro Focus Range	3cm	5cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	460k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/1600s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.30 m (Auto ISO)	3.80 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps	10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720	1280 x 720
Video Formats	AVCHD Lite	MPEG-4
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	229g	200g
Dimensions	103 x 60 x 33mm	103 x 58 x 29mm
Battery Life	n/a	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction