Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic TS20 Comparison

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Samsung NX100

15 MP | APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic TS20

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

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Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic TS20 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Samsung NX100, which was introduced in September 2010 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 15.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Panasonic TS20, which was introduced in January 2012 is a Waterproof camera with a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. There is 17 months difference between NX100 and TS20 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger TS20, especially in sensor tech.

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 Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Samsung NX100 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2010-09-14

15MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

Samsung NX Mount

Digital only Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

3 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

282g. 120 x 71 x 35 mm

Panasonic TS20 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-01-31

16MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

25-100 mm F3.9-5.7 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

1 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

142g. 101 x 58 x 19 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Also known as Lumix DMC-FT20

Samsung NX100 was replaced by Samsung NX200. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Samsung NX200 vs Samsung NX100
Samsung NX200 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20 (Lumix DMC-FT20)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Samsung NX100 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.7"	0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	614k dots vs 230k dots	166% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/1300s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 1.0fps	2 fps faster
Battery Life	420 shots vs 250 shots	170 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Sensor Pixel Area	26.02µm² vs 1.74µm²	1395% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20 over Samsung NX100

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution	16 MP vs 15 MP	6% more pixels
Number of Focus Points	23 vs 15	8 more focus points
Weight	142 g vs 282 g	140 g lighter
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions

Common Strengths of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20

Image Stabilization	Digital only vs Optical	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures

Common Weaknesses of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.7"	Small display

Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic TS20: 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 Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20 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 TS20 has external dimensions of 101 x 58 x 19 mm (3.98 x 2.28 x 0.75″) and weighs 142 g (0.31 lb / 5.01 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20. Panasonic TS20 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 19mm narrower, 13mm shorter and 16mm thinner than Samsung NX100. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic TS20 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 TS20 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20.

Top View Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic TS20 is significantly lighter (140g ) 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

LCD Screen Size and Features

Samsung NX100's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Panasonic TS20's 2.7" screen.

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

Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic TS20: Sensor Comparison

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 TS20 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Below you can see the NX100 and TS20 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20 Cameras

As seen above, Samsung NX100 has a 13.2x Larger sensor area than Panasonic TS20. 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 Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20 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

AVERAGE

Panasonic TS20 for Portrait Photography

POOR

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

AVERAGE

Panasonic TS20 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

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
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
Slow Lens at Wide: f3.90
Read the details

Samsung NX100 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic TS20 for Sports Photography

POOR

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
Environmental Sealings
23 Focus Points
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
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1300s
Poor Battery Life: 250 shots
100 mm Tele Lens
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details

Samsung NX100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Panasonic TS20 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
282g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Compact Body
142g
Body Thickness 19mm
Environmental Sealings
4.0X 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

POOR

Panasonic TS20 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Environmental Sealings
25 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
Read the details

Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic TS20: 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 Samsung NX100 and Panasonic TS20, 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 TS20 scores compare:

Samsung NX100

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #101 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #428 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Panasonic TS20

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #249 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #845 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Samsung NX100 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic TS20 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.

Panasonic TS20 vs Samsung NX100 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Samsung NX100	Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20
Brand	Samsung	Panasonic
Announced	2010-09-14	2012-01-31
Body Type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless	Compact
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	APS-C	1/2.3-inch
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	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	15	23
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Samsung NX	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	no lens	25-100 mm (4×)
Max Aperture	no lens	F3.9-5.7
Macro Focus Range	no lens	5cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	2.7"
Resolution	614k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic (optional)	None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/1300s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Digital only	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	4.40 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	MPEG-4
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	282g	142g
Dimensions	120 x 71 x 35mm	101 x 58 x 19mm
Battery Life	420 shots	250 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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