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Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000

Portability
83
Imaging
52
Features
62
Overall
56
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
 
Sony Alpha a5000 front
Portability
89
Imaging
63
Features
62
Overall
62

Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 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
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic G2
  • Refreshed by Panasonic G5
Sony a5000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Introduced January 2014
  • Succeeded the Sony NEX-3N
  • Later Model is Sony a5100
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Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 Overview

The following is a thorough review of the Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the G3 (16MP) and the a5000 (20MP) is very similar but the G3 (Four Thirds) and a5000 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The G3 was brought out 3 years earlier than the a5000 which is quite a sizable 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 Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the G3 grades versus the a5000 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Sony a5000

 G3 a5000 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony a5000 over the Panasonic G3

 a5000 G3 
IntroducedJanuary 2014July 2011Newer by 30 months
Display resolution461k460kSharper display (+1k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic G3 and Sony a5000

 G3 a5000 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size

Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic G3 comes with exterior dimensions of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") having a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs) while the Sony a5000 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the G3 compared to the a5000.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the G3 and a5000 is 83 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to see the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reviewing specifications. The image underneath may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the G3 and a5000.

Plainly, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The G3 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony a5000 will offer greater detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged G3 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G3 Portrait photography details
Sony a5000 Portrait photography details
71
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
exports RAW files
71
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic G3
Street photography with Sony a5000
75
screen articulates
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
offers focus via touch
lack of image stabilization
78
screen tilts
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G3 Sports photography factors
Sony a5000 Sports photography factors
47
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery power (270 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
60
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
great battery pack (420 CIPA)
low fps (4.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G3 Travel photography information
Sony a5000 Travel photography information
70
offers focus via touch
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse mode
terrible battery power (270 per charge)
78
great battery pack (420 shots)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
built-in flash
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G3 Landscape photography info
Sony a5000 Landscape photography info
62
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
decent megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery power (270 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
77
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (420 shots)
lack of image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G3 as a Vlogging camera
Sony a5000 as a Vlogging camera
70
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
provides face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lack of image stabilization
missing external mic port
32
comes with face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
does not have external microphone port
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Panasonic G3 vs Sony a5000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G3 and Sony a5000
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3Sony Alpha a5000
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Sony Alpha a5000
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-07-11 2014-01-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine FHD Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3448 5456 x 3632
Highest native ISO 6400 16000
Min native ISO 160 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 23 25
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.6
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 461 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT LCD with 180 upward tilt
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 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames per second 4.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 11.00 m 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
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 (60i/24p), 1440 x 1080 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 336 gr (0.74 lb) 269 gr (0.59 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 56 79
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.6 13.0
DXO Low light rating 667 1089
Other
Battery life 270 shots 420 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $500 $448