Leica M-Monochrom vs Panasonic GF3

Below is a extensive overview of the Leica M-Monochrom and Panasonic GF3, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Leica and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the M-Monochrom (18MP) and GF3 (12MP) and the M-Monochrom (Full frame) and GF3 (Four Thirds) come with different sensor sizes.

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The M-Monochrom was manufactured 10 months later than the GF3 and they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving in to a thorough comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the M-Monochrom scores vs the GF3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Leica M-Monochrom & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3. The entire galleries are available at Leica M-Monochrom Gallery & Panasonic GF3 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Leica M-Monochrom offers physical dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") along with a weight of 600 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF3 has dimensions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs).

Analyze the Leica M-Monochrom and Panasonic GF3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the M-Monochrom versus the GF3.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the M-Monochrom and GF3 is 78 and 90 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to visualize the difference between sensor measurements just by going over specs. The visual here will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the M-Monochrom and GF3.

All in all, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The M-Monochrom featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Leica M-Monochrom will deliver more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more modern M-Monochrom should have an advantage in sensor innovation.