Panasonic G3 vs Panasonic ZS40

On this page, we will be contrasting the Panasonic G3 and Panasonic ZS40, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are built by Panasonic. The resolution of the G3 (16MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is pretty close but the G3 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The G3 was released 3 years prior to the ZS40 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a simple summary of how the G3 scores vs the ZS40 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic G3 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic G3 enjoys outer dimensions of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") along with a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS40 has sizing of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

See the Panasonic G3 and Panasonic ZS40 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the G3 versus the ZS40.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the G3 and ZS40 is 83 and 90 respectively.

Generally, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizes only by viewing technical specs. The image below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the G3 and ZS40.

As you have seen, both of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The G3 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic ZS40 will result in more detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged G3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.