Canon S100 vs Panasonic GF3 [14mm f 2.5-22] Low Light Performance Comparison ??????

Sorry I can't help you as I'm a newbie looking to learn but I was trying to decide between the S100 and the Panasonic LX5.

You can go to http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcgf3/13 and select the Canon S100 for one of the cameras to compare to. To my eye the GF3 looks slightly better (it has a bigger sensor, so not too surprising?) but not a huge difference.

The GF3 has much better low light performance compared to the S100.

For an image quality comparison, I suggest using dpreview.com's excellent comparison tool – you can select up to four cameras for comparison against a standard studio shot, and it is possible to individually set ISO for each camera in the compare. You can also compare RAW versus out-of-camera JPEG output as well.

Here is the studio shot link for the S100 (RAW):

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons100/12

And the GF3 (RAW):

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcgf3/14

The GF3's sensor is roughly 5.2 times larger than the sensor in the S100 and collects much more light at equivalent aperture as a result. At f/2.5, the GF3 w/14mm lens will still collect about 3.4 times more light than the S100 shot at f/2.

My subjective opinion is that the GF3 color rendition (at least for RAW output) is more appealing compared to the S100, which seems a little washed out, even at base ISO (ISO80). At ISO800, the GF3 has a pretty clear advantage in both detail and color rendition.

Then again, the S100 is a smaller/lighter package, and I wish I had a similar camera for my UL trips (my 7D typically weighs in at close to 3lbs, depending on lens).

Thank you so much Joseph. You said exactly what I was trying to figure out. Ive been trying to figure out/learn how sensor size impacts performance compared to aperture size. thank you!!!!

This is a touch screen camera right? That's the ONE thing that steered me towards a used GF-1. I don't wanna deal with another touch device, especially in a camera.

If it helps, I have the S95 and it is by far the nicest little camera! Pictures are outstanding, and I have recieved constant praise for the build quality and feature set.

Low light shooting is outstanding, and captures night shots, sunsets, overcast days, fire pits, etc. with incredible detail.

It is light, durable, and let's you leave the big SLR's at home.

[S95] "It is light, durable, and let's you leave the big SLR's at home."

It kind of depends on the subject matter, don't you think?

–B.G.–

Any of the tiny-sensor p+s cameras are going to have similar image quality. Very good at lower ISO settings, not so good at higher ones. It's just physics, mostly.

As for the Panasonics, we have three of them in the house – a GF1, a G1, and a GH2. (Yeah, I can quit any time I want.) While the GF3 is a nice small camera, if I were buying something right now I would get the G3, which has a built in EVF eye-level viewfinder, and isn't too much larger or heavier. The 16-megapixel sensor is quite good, and will significantly outperform a p+s camera at ISO 800 and above. The kit zoom not so much. Not sure if you can get a kit with the 14mm, but that's a great little tiny lens. In combination with the 20mm f/1.7 and the Olympus 45/1.8 it makes a terrific compact 3-lens kit.