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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
36
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 front
 
Sony SLT-A65 front
Portability
64
Imaging
63
Features
85
Overall
71

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 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 A65
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 622g - 132 x 97 x 81mm
  • Announced November 2011
  • Later Model is Sony A68
Photography Glossary

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 Overview

Following is a complete analysis of the Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the 3D1 (12MP) and A65 (24MP) and the 3D1 (1/2.3") and A65 (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The 3D1 was launched within a month of the A65 which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A65 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a short introduction of how the 3D1 matches up against the A65 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic 3D1 over the Sony A65

 3D1 A65 
Screen dimension3.5"3"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A65 over the Panasonic 3D1

 A65 3D1 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A65

 3D1 A65 
AnnouncedNovember 2011November 2011Similar age

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic 3D1 provides exterior measurements 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 A65 has proportions of 132mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") along with a weight of 622 grams (1.37 lbs).

See the Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the 3D1 against the A65.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 3D1 and A65 is 93 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to imagine the difference between sensor sizes only by looking at a spec sheet. The image underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the 3D1 and A65.

Clearly, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 3D1 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A65 will give extra detail utilizing its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 sensor size comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Portrait photography advice
Sony A65 Portrait photography advice
27
includes face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
77
focusing manually
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic 3D1
Street photography with Sony A65
61
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides focus by touch
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
77
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Sports photography advice
Sony A65 Sports photography advice
30
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking autofocus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,300s)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (200 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
81
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A65 as a Travel photography camera
59
provides focus by touch
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
terrible battery life (200 per charge)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
68
good resolution (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic 3D1
Landscape photography with Sony A65
36
relatively wide (25mm)
screen larger than average (3.5 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
manual mode not available
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
terrible battery life (200 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
75
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Vlogging advice
Sony A65 Vlogging advice
34
relatively wide (25mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
does not feature selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone port
78
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone jack
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A65 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A65
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1Sony SLT-A65
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 Sony SLT-A65
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-11-07 2011-11-15
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 23 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.9-5.7 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3.5" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT Full Touch Screen with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1300 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 10.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 193g (0.43 lbs) 622g (1.37 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 58 x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") 132 x 97 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 74
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 717
Other
Battery life 200 images 560 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $670 $700