Compared to... Panasonic DMC-FZ7

Below you will find a studio comparison between the Canon PowerShot S3 IS and the Panasonic DMC-FZ7 at ISO 400.

Studio scene comparison ( @ ISO 400)

  • Canon PowerShot S3 IS: Aperture Priority mode, ISO 400, Default Image Parameters,
    Manual white balance, +0.67 EV compensation
  • Panasonic DMC-FZ7: Aperture Priority mode (F5.0), ISO 400, Default Image Parameters, Manual (preset) white balance, +0.7 EV compensation
     
  • Lighting: Daylight simulation, >98% CRI
Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Panasonic DMC-FZ7
ISO 400, 1/250 sec, F5.0
ISO 400, 1/320 sec, F5.0
3,013 KB JPEG
1,862 KB JPEG

Pretty much the same story at ISO 400; Canon's noise reduction is less aggressive, and less 'real' detail is lost, but the results look soft next to the FZ7. That said, the Panasonic sensor obviously suffers from far higher noise, which combined with 'watercolor' style noise reduction produces an image you wouldn't want to print on anything bigger than a postcard. Again it's a matter of taste, but I'd say that - by a whisker - the Canon result is more usable, but once again it's worth noting that the FZ7's ISO 400 is measurably more sensitive than the S3 IS.