Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 vs Leica Q3

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 and the Leica Q3, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 was introduced in February 2019 and Leica Q3 was introduced in May 2023. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 over Leica Q3.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Leica Q3 over Panasonic Lumix DC-S1.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 has a 3.2" screen with 2,100k dot resolution and Leica Q3 has a 3.0" screen with 1,843k dot resolution. Both have Tilting screens. Tilting screen makes cameras very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Both models feature touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Electronic viewfinders with 5,760k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 features a 24.2 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.6 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 847.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode. Leica Q3 features a 60.3 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 576 mm². Its native ISO range is 50 - 100,000.

Leica Q3 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Leica Q3 is equipped with Maestro IV processor and can take pictures up to 9520 x 6336 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 36.5 MP: 7404 x 4928, 18.6 MP: 5288 x 3518 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on either of the cameras. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization (6 stops of compensation in Panasonic Lumix DC-S1). On Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac/b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 and Leica Q3 have built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC on Leica Q3

Leica Q3 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB Type-C inputs for data transfer and battery charging. Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 has a Full Size HDMI and Leica Q3 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 comes with DMW-BLJ31 battery pack with battery life of 380 shots and Leica Q3 comes with BP-SCL6 battery pack with battery life of 350 shots.

External Storage Slots

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for CFexpress Type B / XQD. Leica Q3 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/2000 sec with mechanical shutter on Leica Q3. Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 can shoot continuously up to 9.0 fps. Leica Q3 can shoot continuously up to 15.0 fps.

Focusing

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 has 225 focusing points and Leica Q3 has 315 focusing points. Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 has detection range from -6 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 ranges from 0 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 and ±3 range on Leica Q3. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Leica Q3.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 and via Shoe Mount to Leica Q3. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/320 sec on Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 and 1/500 sec on Leica Q3.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 body has dimensions of 149 x 110 x 97 mm (5.87 x 4.33 x 3.82") and Leica Q3 body has dimensions of 130 x 80 x 93 mm (5.12 x 3.15 x 3.66"). Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 weighs 899 g (1.98 lb / 31.71 oz) and Leica Q3 weighs 743 g (1.64 lb / 26.21 oz).

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1

Leica Q3

149 mm

110 mm

130 mm

80 mm

110 mm

80 mm

97 mm

93 mm