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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
36
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 III front
Portability
63
Imaging
74
Features
92
Overall
81

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III Key Specs

Panasonic 3D1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.9-5.7) lens
  • 193g - 108 x 58 x 24mm
  • Revealed November 2011
Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Announced February 2018
  • Superseded the Sony A7 II
  • Replacement is Sony A7 IV
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III Overview

In this article, we will be analyzing the Panasonic 3D1 versus Sony A7 III, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the 3D1 (12MP) and A7 III (24MP) and the 3D1 (1/2.3") and A7 III (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The 3D1 was unveiled 7 years prior to the A7 III and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a short overview of how the 3D1 scores versus the A7 III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic 3D1 over the Sony A7 III

 3D1 A7 III 
Screen sizing3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Panasonic 3D1

 A7 III 3D1 
AnnouncedFebruary 2018November 2011More recent by 76 months
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k460kClearer screen (+462k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A7 III

 3D1 A7 III 
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic 3D1 has got physical measurements of 108mm x 58mm x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") and a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs) whilst the Sony A7 III has measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic 3D1 versus Sony A7 III in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the 3D1 compared to the A7 III.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 3D1 and A7 III is 93 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III top view buttons comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's tough to see the gap in sensor measurements merely by going through specs. The visual here will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the 3D1 and A7 III.

All in all, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 3D1 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A7 III will provide greater detail having an extra 12MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older 3D1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III sensor size comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7 III as a Portrait photography camera
27
includes face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
84
manual focus
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Street photography factors
Sony A7 III Street photography factors
61
image stabilization (Optical)
provides focus by touch
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
78
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
offers focus by touch
environment proofing
good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Sports photography features
Sony A7 III Sports photography features
30
image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking autofocus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,300s)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery (200 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
87
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
better than average battery (610 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A7 III as a Travel photography camera
59
provides focus by touch
built-in flash
rather wide (25mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
low battery (200 shots)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
73
better than average battery (610 per charge)
environment proofing
has bluetooth
offers focus by touch
resolution is good (24MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A7 III Landscape photography highlights
36
rather wide (25mm)
bigger than average screen (3.5 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
no manual exposure
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
low battery (200 per charge)
lack of Timelapse mode
85
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
good ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
better than average battery (610 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic 3D1
Vlogging with Sony A7 III
34
rather wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of external microphone support
36
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
includes mic jack
display isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A7 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A7 III
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1Sony Alpha A7 III
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 Sony Alpha A7 III
Category Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-11-07 2018-02-27
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 51200
Maximum boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 23 693
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.9-5.7 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology TFT Full Touch Screen with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1300 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed - 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.50 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync no built-in flash
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 193g (0.43 pounds) 650g (1.43 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 58 x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 96
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.7
DXO Low light score not tested 3730
Other
Battery life 200 images 610 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One Two
Retail cost $670 $1,998