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Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
83
Imaging
50
Features
62
Overall
54
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
50
Features
74
Overall
59

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 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
  • Launched July 2011
  • Older Model is Panasonic G2
  • Refreshed by Panasonic G5
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Announced June 2013
  • Old Model is Sony RX100
  • Successor is Sony RX100 III
Photography Glossary

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

On this page, we are analyzing the Panasonic G3 versus Sony RX100 II, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the G3 (16MP) and the RX100 II (20MP) is very comparable but the G3 (Four Thirds) and RX100 II (1") provide different sensor sizes.

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The G3 was launched 23 months prior to the RX100 II making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic G3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple summary of how the G3 scores vs the RX100 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G3 over the Sony RX100 II

 G3 RX100 II 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Panasonic G3

 RX100 II G3 
AnnouncedJune 2013July 2011More modern by 23 months
Display resolution1229k460kClearer display (+769k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic G3 and Sony RX100 II

 G3 RX100 II 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic G3 features outer dimensions of 115mm x 84mm x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") and a weight of 336 grams (0.74 lbs) and the Sony RX100 II has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic G3 versus Sony RX100 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the G3 and the RX100 II.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the G3 and RX100 II is 83 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizes just by checking out specs. The image here will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the G3 and RX100 II.

All in all, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The G3 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh simpler and the Sony RX100 II will produce more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images more aggressively. The more aged G3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G3 Portrait photography features
Sony RX100 II Portrait photography features
70
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
supports RAW formats
70
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic G3
Street photography with Sony RX100 II
75
screen articulates
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
features touch to focus
no image stabilization
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (281 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic G3
Sports photography with Sony RX100 II
46
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (270 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
66
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
includes tracking autofocus
good battery power (350 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G3 Travel photography info
Sony RX100 II Travel photography info
69
features touch to focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
no Timelapse function
not so great battery pack (270 shots)
79
good battery power (350 per charge)
lighter than competition (281 grams)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G3 Landscape photography details
Sony RX100 II Landscape photography details
61
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
no image stabilization
not so great battery pack (270 CIPA)
no Timelapse function
73
has manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
exports RAW formats
good battery power (350 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G3 Vlogging factors
Sony RX100 II Vlogging factors
69
screen is selfie friendly
touch screen
provides face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
no image stabilization
no microphone socket
37
reasonably wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (281g)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external mic port
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Panasonic G3 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G3 and Sony RX100 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-07-11 2013-06-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4592 x 3448 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 160 160
RAW images
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 23 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 11.00 m 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/2000 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)) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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 lbs) 281 gr (0.62 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 84 x 47mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 1.9") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 67
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.6 12.4
DXO Low light rating 667 483
Other
Battery life 270 images 350 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $500 $598