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Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7

Portability
83
Imaging
51
Features
62
Overall
55
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 front
Portability
95
Imaging
37
Features
41
Overall
38

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Key Specs

Panasonic G3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 336g - 115 x 84 x 47mm
  • Introduced July 2011
  • Succeeded the Panasonic G2
  • Updated by Panasonic G5
Panasonic SZ7
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 133g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2012
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Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic G3 versus Panasonic SZ7, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Panasonic. The image resolution of the G3 (16MP) and the SZ7 (14MP) is pretty close but the G3 (Four Thirds) and SZ7 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The G3 was unveiled 6 months prior to the SZ7 so they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ7 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the G3 matches up vs the SZ7 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Panasonic SZ7

 G3 SZ7 
Focus manually More precise focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ7 over the Panasonic G3

 SZ7 G3 

Common features in the Panasonic G3 and Panasonic SZ7

 G3 SZ7 
LaunchedJuly 2011January 2012Same generation
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Screen resolution460k460kSame screen resolution

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic G3 enjoys outer measurements of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") with a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ7 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 133 grams (0.29 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic G3 versus Panasonic SZ7 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the G3 versus the SZ7.

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the G3 and SZ7 is 83 and 95 respectively.

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by researching technical specs. The image here will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the G3 and SZ7.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The G3 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic G3 will render extra detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively.

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic SZ7 Portrait photography features
70
has manual focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
33
decent MP (14 megapixels)
supports face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G3 Street photography details
Panasonic SZ7 Street photography details
75
fully articulated screen
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
offers focus via touch
no image stabilization
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (133g)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G3 Sports photography information
Panasonic SZ7 Sports photography information
46
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
not so great battery life (270 CIPA)
lack of phase detect autofocus
43
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G3 Travel photography factors
Panasonic SZ7 Travel photography factors
70
offers focus via touch
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (270 CIPA)
70
lighter than competitors (133g)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
long reach (250mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G3 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic SZ7 Landscape photography factors
62
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
not so great battery life (270 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
42
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G3 Vlogging advice
Panasonic SZ7 Vlogging advice
70
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
provides face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
no image stabilization
lack of external mic port
35
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (133g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone support
Photography Glossary

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic SZ7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G3 and Panasonic SZ7
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
General Information
Company Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-07-11 2012-01-09
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3448 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 23 23
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-5.9
Macro focusing range - 4cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 8s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 11.00 m 5.60 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)) 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 336g (0.74 lbs) 133g (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.6 not tested
DXO Low light rating 667 not tested
Other
Battery life 270 photos 220 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $500 $199