Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A850

Its time to take a deeper look at the Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A850, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the 3D1 (12MP) and A850 (25MP) and the 3D1 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) offer different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The 3D1 was introduced 20 months later than the A850 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the 3D1 grades vs the A850 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic 3D1 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic 3D1 enjoys outside measurements of 108mm x 58mm x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A850 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the 3D1 against the A850.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 3D1 and A850 is 93 and 54 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph below may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the 3D1 and A850.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The 3D1 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A850 will offer extra detail using its extra 13 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The younger 3D1 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.