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Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1

Portability
83
Imaging
51
Features
62
Overall
55
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Key Specs

Panasonic G3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 336g - 115 x 84 x 47mm
  • Announced July 2011
  • Succeeded the Panasonic G2
  • Refreshed by Panasonic G5
Panasonic ZR1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-200mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 158g - 98 x 55 x 26mm
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-ZX1
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Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Overview

Let's look a little more in depth at the Panasonic G3 and Panasonic ZR1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both designed by Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the G3 (16MP) and ZR1 (12MP) and the G3 (Four Thirds) and ZR1 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The G3 was unveiled 24 months later than the ZR1 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the G3 grades against the ZR1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Panasonic ZR1

 G3 ZR1 
IntroducedJuly 2011July 2009More recent by 24 months
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZR1 over the Panasonic G3

 ZR1 G3 

Common features in the Panasonic G3 and Panasonic ZR1

 G3 ZR1 

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic G3 has got exterior measurements of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") having a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Panasonic ZR1 has measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic G3 and Panasonic ZR1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the G3 and the ZR1.

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the G3 and ZR1 is 83 and 94 respectively.

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements merely by going through technical specs. The visual underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the G3 and ZR1.

As you have seen, the two cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The G3 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic G3 will show greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The fresher G3 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G3 Portrait photography features
Panasonic ZR1 Portrait photography features
70
you can focus manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW files
21
no manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G3 Street photography factors
Panasonic ZR1 Street photography factors
75
screen articulates fully
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
provides focus via touch
no image stabilization
56
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic G3
Sports photography with Panasonic ZR1
46
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
max fps very slow (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
not so great battery power (270 shots)
has no phase detect AF
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic ZR1 as a Travel photography camera
70
provides focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
lack of Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (270 shots)
57
flash built-in
decently wide (25mm)
no Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G3 Landscape photography info
Panasonic ZR1 Landscape photography info
62
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
megapixel count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
not so great battery power (270 shots)
lack of Timelapse mode
32
decently wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G3 Vlogging details
Panasonic ZR1 Vlogging details
70
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
no image stabilization
lack of microphone jack
28
decently wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone jack
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Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZR1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G3 and Panasonic ZR1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1
General Information
Brand Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-ZX1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2011-07-11 2009-07-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine FHD Venus Engine V
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3448 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 160 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 23 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-200mm (8.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 11.00 m 5.10 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 336 grams (0.74 lbs) 158 grams (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") 98 x 55 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0")
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 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $500 $280