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Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II

Portability
83
Imaging
51
Features
62
Overall
55
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R II front
Portability
68
Imaging
75
Features
84
Overall
78

Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II 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
  • Announced July 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic G2
  • Refreshed by Panasonic G5
Sony A7R II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 625g - 127 x 96 x 60mm
  • Released June 2015
  • Replaced the Sony A7R
  • Replacement is Sony A7R III
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Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II Overview

In this article, we are contrasting the Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the G3 (16MP) and A7R II (42MP) and the G3 (Four Thirds) and A7R II (Full frame) possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The G3 was announced 4 years earlier than the A7R II and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the G3 grades against the A7R II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Sony A7R II

 G3 A7R II 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A7R II over the Panasonic G3

 A7R II G3 
ReleasedJune 2015July 2011More recent by 47 months
Display resolution1229k460kCrisper display (+769k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic G3 and Sony A7R II

 G3 A7R II 
Manually focus Dial accurate focus
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display dimensions

Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic G3 comes with exterior measurements of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") along with a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R II has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4") with a weight of 625 grams (1.38 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the G3 against the A7R II.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the G3 and A7R II is 83 and 68 respectively.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to envision the contrast in sensor measurements purely by seeing specs. The graphic underneath may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the G3 and A7R II.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The G3 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF harder and the Sony A7R II will provide extra detail with its extra 26MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a little more aggressively. The older G3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II sensor size comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic G3
Portrait photography with Sony A7R II
70
has manual focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
85
focusing manually
great sensor resolution (42 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
features face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G3 Street photography advice
Sony A7R II Street photography advice
75
screen articulates
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
lack of image stabilization
81
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G3 Sports photography factors
Sony A7R II Sports photography factors
46
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
max fps low (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (270 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor resolution (42 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
not so great battery power (290 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G3 Travel photography features
Sony A7R II Travel photography features
70
comes with touch to focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
does not have Timelapse mode
bad battery power (270 CIPA)
62
weather proofing
great sensor resolution (42MP)
not so great battery power (290 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G3 Landscape photography advice
Sony A7R II Landscape photography advice
62
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
bad battery power (270 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
82
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor resolution (42 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
not so great battery power (290 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7R II as a Vlogging camera
70
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
offers face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of image stabilization
does not have microphone socket
37
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with microphone port
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic G3 vs Sony A7R II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G3 and Sony A7R II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3Sony Alpha A7R II
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Sony Alpha A7R II
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2011-07-11 2015-06-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine FHD Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 42 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3448 7974 x 5316
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Max boosted ISO - 102400
Min native ISO 160 100
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 23 399
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 11.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync no built-in flash
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 336 grams (0.74 lbs) 625 grams (1.38 lbs)
Dimensions 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") 127 x 96 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 98
DXO Color Depth score 21.0 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score 10.6 13.9
DXO Low light score 667 3434
Other
Battery life 270 pictures 290 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $500 $2,913