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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
36
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 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 A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Released April 2017
  • Later Model is Sony A9 II
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 Overview

In this article, we will be comparing the Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the 3D1 (12MP) and A9 (24MP) and the 3D1 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The 3D1 was manufactured 6 years earlier than the A9 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a short summation of how the 3D1 scores versus the A9 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic 3D1 over the Sony A9

 3D1 A9 
Screen sizing3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Panasonic 3D1

 A9 3D1 
ReleasedApril 2017November 2011More modern by 66 months
Focus manually More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k460kClearer screen (+980k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A9

 3D1 A9 
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic 3D1 enjoys exterior dimensions of 108mm x 58mm x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") having a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the 3D1 vs the A9.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the 3D1 and A9 is 93 and 65 respectively.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes merely by seeing technical specs. The picture here will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the 3D1 and A9.

As you have seen, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The 3D1 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A9 will provide more detail due to its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged 3D1 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Portrait photography features
Sony A9 Portrait photography features
27
features face detection focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
83
has manual focus
resolution is good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Street photography highlights
Sony A9 Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes touch focus
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
79
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
weather sealing
great ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Sports photography details
Sony A9 Sports photography details
30
has image stabilization (Optical)
features tracking autofocus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,300 seconds)
no shutter priority mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (200 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
86
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
high fps (20.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
weather sealing
great battery life (650 shots)
comes with phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic 3D1
Travel photography with Sony A9
59
includes touch focus
built-in flash
decently wide (25mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery life (200 per charge)
resolution not great (12MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
73
great battery life (650 shots)
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
comes with focus by touch
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A9 as a Landscape photography camera
36
decently wide (25mm)
lovely big screen (3.5 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
manual exposure not available
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
terrible battery life (200 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse recording
85
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
great ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
great battery life (650 per charge)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Vlogging advice
Sony A9 Vlogging advice
34
decently wide (25mm)
touch screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
does not have a selfie friendly display
does not have external mic support
36
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have mic support
display is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A9
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1Sony Alpha A9
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 Sony Alpha A9
Class Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-11-07 2017-04-19
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 51200
Max enhanced ISO - 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 23 693
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.9-5.7 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Available lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT Full Touch Screen with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1300 secs 1/8000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.50 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 193g (0.43 lb) 673g (1.48 lb)
Dimensions 108 x 58 x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 3517
Other
Battery life 200 pictures 650 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots One 2
Retail pricing $670 $4,498