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 Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Samsung NX100 has external dimensions of 120 x 71 x 35 mm (4.72 x 2.8 x 1.38″) and weighs 282 g (0.62 lb / 9.95 oz) (including batteries). Panasonic SZ8 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 27 mm (3.94 x 2.36 x 1.06″) and weighs 159 g (0.35 lb / 5.61 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8. Panasonic SZ8 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 20mm narrower, 11mm shorter and 8mm thinner than Samsung NX100. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic SZ8 has a built-in lens but Samsung NX100 doesn't. Once you put a lens on NX100, its thickness will increase significantly.
Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8.
Top View Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8 Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Panasonic SZ8 is significantly lighter (123g ) than the Samsung NX100 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 NX100, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Samsung NX100 nor Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 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 Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8'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.
Samsung NX100 has a 15.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DRIMe Engine processor. On the other hand, Panasonic SZ8 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3" (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Venus Engine processor.
Below you can see the NX100 and SZ8 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8 Cameras
As seen above, Samsung NX100 has a 13.2x Larger sensor area than Panasonic SZ8. 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.
In this section, we rank and compare Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8 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.
Samsung NX100 for Portrait Photography
Panasonic SZ8 for Portrait Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
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
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Street Photography
Panasonic SZ8 for Street Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
24 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
Samsung NX100 for Sports Photography
Panasonic SZ8 for Sports Photography
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
15 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Wireless Connection
288 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: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 200 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.30
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Daily Photography
Panasonic SZ8 for Daily Photography
Compact Body
159g
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Landscape Photography
Panasonic SZ8 for Landscape Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
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 Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8, 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 Samsung NX100 and Panasonic SZ8 scores compare:
Samsung NX100
Ranked
#100 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#425 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Panasonic SZ8
Ranked
#280 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked
#898 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Samsung NX100 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic SZ8 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Samsung NX100.
General |
Samsung NX100 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 |
Brand |
Samsung |
Panasonic |
Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2014-01-06 |
Body Type |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Compact |
Sensor |
|
|
Type |
CMOS |
CCD |
Size |
APS-C |
1/2.3" |
Dimensions |
23.4 x 15.6 mm |
6.08 x 4.56 mm |
Area |
365.04mm2 |
27.72mm2 |
Megapixels |
15 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
Max Resolution |
4592 x 3056 |
4608 x 3456 |
Max Native Light sensitivity |
6,400 ISO |
1,600 ISO |
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity |
- |
6400 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 |
15 |
9 |
Lens |
|
|
Manual Focus |
|
|
Lens Mount |
Samsung NX |
fixed lens |
Lens Focal Range |
no lens |
24-288 mm (12×) |
Max Aperture |
no lens |
F3.1-6.3 |
Screen |
|
|
Type |
Fixed type |
Fixed type |
Size |
3" |
3" |
Resolution |
614k dots |
460k dots |
Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
Viewfinder |
Electronic (optional) |
None |
Photography Features |
|
|
Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/4000s |
1/2000s |
Shutter Priority |
|
|
Aperture Priority |
|
|
Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
Custom White Balance |
|
|
Image Stabilization |
Digital only |
Optical |
Built-in Flash |
|
|
Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
5.20 m |
Max Flash Sync |
1/180s |
n/a |
External Flash |
|
|
Continuous Shooting |
3.0 fps |
1.0 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 |
H.264 |
Motion JPEG |
Microphone Port |
|
|
Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
Wireless Connectivity |
None |
Built-In |
HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
Environmental Sealing |
|
|
Weight |
282g |
159g |
Dimensions |
120 x 71 x 35mm |
100 x 60 x 27mm |
Battery Life |
420 shots |
200 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
Timelapse Recording |
|
|
GPS |
Optional |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
DxO Overall Score |
62 |
not tested |
DxO Color Depth |
22.6 |
not tested |
DxO Dynamic Range |
10.7 |
not tested |
DxO Low Light ISO |
563 |
not tested |
|
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