Panasonic G3 vs Pentax P70

Following is a comprehensive overview of the Panasonic G3 and Pentax P70, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the G3 (16MP) and P70 (12MP) and the G3 (Four Thirds) and P70 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The G3 was brought out 2 years after the P70 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the G3 grades vs the P70 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 and Pentax Optio P70. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic G3 Gallery and Pentax P70 Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic G3 has exterior dimensions of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") and a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Pentax P70 has dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic G3 and Pentax P70 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the G3 versus the P70.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the G3 and P70 is 83 and 95 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizes simply by reading through specs. The pic below should give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the G3 and P70.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The G3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Panasonic G3 will resolve greater detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The fresher G3 provides an advantage in sensor innovation.