Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A37

Below is a detailed analysis of the Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A37, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the 3D1 (12MP) and A37 (16MP) and the 3D1 (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The 3D1 was brought out 6 months prior to the A37 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the 3D1 grades versus the A37 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 and Sony SLT-A37. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic 3D1 Gallery and Sony A37 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic 3D1 provides external dimensions of 108mm x 58mm x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs) and the Sony A37 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A37 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the 3D1 vs the A37.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 3D1 and A37 is 93 and 67 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by researching specs. The photograph here may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the 3D1 and A37.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 3D1 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A37 will render more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively.