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Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic ZS15 Comparison

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Samsung NX100

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

Samsung NX100
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Panasonic ZS15

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS Sensor

Panasonic ZS15
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Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic ZS15 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 ZS15, which was introduced in June 2012 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3" sensor. There is 22 months difference between NX100 and ZS15 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger ZS15, 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 ZS15 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 ZS15 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-06-29
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 24-384 mm F3.3-5.9 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 2 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 208g. 105 x 58 x 33 mm
  • Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ25

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-ZS15 (Lumix DMC-TZ25)

Panasonic ZS15 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 (Lumix DMC-TZ25)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 vs Samsung NX100

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Samsung NX100 and Panasonic ZS15 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-ZS15
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
Max Sensor Resolution
15 MP vs 12 MP 25% more pixels
LCD Screen Resolution
614k dots vs 460k dots 33% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting
3.0fps vs 2.0fps 1 fps faster
Battery Life
420 shots vs 260 shots 160 more frames with a single charge
Sensor Pixel Area
26.02µm2 vs 2.34µm2 1011% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing Range
±3 EV vs ±1 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR


Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 over Samsung NX100
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Number of Focus Points
23 vs 15 8 more focus points
Weight
208 g vs 282 g 74 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720 Higher Resolution Video

Common Strengths of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Image Stabilization
Digital only vs Optical Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic ZS15: 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 ZS15 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 ZS15 has external dimensions of 105 x 58 x 33 mm (4.13 x 2.28 x 1.3″) and weighs 208 g (0.46 lb / 7.34 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic ZS15. Panasonic ZS15 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 15mm narrower, 13mm shorter and 2mm thinner than Samsung NX100. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic ZS15 has a built-in lens but Samsung NX100 doesn't. Once you put a lens on NX100, its thickness will increase significantly.

Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic ZS15 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic ZS15 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic ZS15.
Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic ZS15 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic ZS15 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic ZS15 is significantly lighter (74g ) 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-ZS15 (Lumix DMC-TZ25) 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 ZS15'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 vs Panasonic ZS15: 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 ZS15 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the NX100 and ZS15 sensor size comparison.

Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic ZS15 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Panasonic ZS15 Cameras


As seen above, Samsung NX100 has a 13.0x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS15. 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 ZS15 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Samsung NX100 and Panasonic ZS15 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 ZS15 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: 12.0MP
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
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Samsung NX100 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic ZS15 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
24 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

Samsung NX100 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic ZS15 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
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
23 Focus Points
384 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 260 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
Read the details

Samsung NX100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Panasonic ZS15 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
282g
Medium size Body
Read the details
Compact Body
208g
16.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Samsung NX100 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Panasonic ZS15 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
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Samsung NX100 vs Panasonic ZS15: 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 ZS15, 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 ZS15 scores compare:

Samsung NX100
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #100 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #425 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Panasonic ZS15
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #210 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #782 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Samsung NX100 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic ZS15 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.

Samsung NX100
Samsung NX100
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Panasonic ZS15
Panasonic ZS15
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Panasonic ZS15 vs Samsung NX100 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Samsung NX100 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15
Brand Samsung Panasonic
Announced 2010-09-14 2012-06-29
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C 1/2.3"
Dimensions 23.4 x 15.6 mm 6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area 365.04mm2 28.07mm2
Megapixels 15 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 4592 x 3056 4000 x 3000
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 24-384 mm (16×)
Max Aperture no lens F3.3-5.9
Macro Focus Range no lens 3cm
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 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Digital only Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 6.40 m
Max Flash Sync 1/180s n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 2.0 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 H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 282g 208g
Dimensions 120 x 71 x 35mm 105 x 58 x 33mm
Battery Life 420 shots 260 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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