Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G3
96 Imaging
37 Features
24 Overall
31
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83 Imaging
51 Features
62 Overall
55
Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G3 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1600
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
- 120g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
- Announced January 2011
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 160 - 6400
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 336g - 115 x 84 x 47mm
- Launched July 2011
- Succeeded the Panasonic G2
- Refreshed by Panasonic G5
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G3 Overview
Lets take a closer look at the Olympus VG-120 versus Panasonic G3, former is a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the VG-120 (14MP) and the G3 (16MP) is very similar but the VG-120 (1/2.3") and G3 (Four Thirds) posses different sensor sizes.
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The VG-120 was released 6 months earlier than the G3 which means that they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-120 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the VG-120 scores versus the G3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G3 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus VG-120 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus VG-120 Gallery & Panasonic G3 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus VG-120 over the Panasonic G3
VG-120 | G3 |
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Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Olympus VG-120
G3 | VG-120 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial precise focusing | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+230k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Common features in the Olympus VG-120 and Panasonic G3
VG-120 | G3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2011 | ![]() | July 2011 | Similar age |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display dimensions |
Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G3 Physical Comparison
In case you're going to travel with your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus VG-120 offers outside measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 120 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Panasonic G3 has specifications of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") along with a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs).
Check the Olympus VG-120 versus Panasonic G3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the VG-120 against the G3.
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Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VG-120 and G3 is 96 and 83 respectively.
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G3 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, its difficult to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reviewing technical specs. The image underneath might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-120 and G3.
As you have seen, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The VG-120 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic G3 will deliver extra detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images more aggressively.
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G3 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus VG-120 vs Panasonic G3 Specifications
Olympus VG-120 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus VG-120 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 |
Class | Ultracompact | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Announced | 2011-01-06 | 2011-07-11 |
Physical type | Ultracompact | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | TruePic III | Venus Engine FHD |
Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | Four Thirds |
Sensor measurements | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 17.3 x 13mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 224.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 14MP | 16MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4592 x 3448 |
Max native ISO | 1600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 160 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Total focus points | - | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | Micro Four Thirds |
Lens zoom range | 26-130mm (5.0x) | - |
Largest aperture | f/2.8-6.5 | - |
Macro focusing distance | 7cm | - |
Total lenses | - | 107 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 2.1 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen size | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 230 thousand dots | 460 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Screen tech | TFT Color LCD | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.7x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 4s | 60s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shooting rate | - | 4.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 4.40 m | 11.00 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)) |
Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | AVCHD, Motion JPEG |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 120 gr (0.26 pounds) | 336 gr (0.74 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") | 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | 56 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 21.0 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 10.6 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 667 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 160 pictures | 270 pictures |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | LI-70B | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch price | $190 | $500 |