Clicky

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3

Portability
69
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
24
Overall
31

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 Key Specs

Panasonic G85
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 505g - 128 x 89 x 74mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DMC-G80
  • Newer Model is Panasonic G95
Panasonic S3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Released January 2011
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 Overview

In this write-up, we are analyzing the Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both manufactured by Panasonic. The image resolution of the G85 (16MP) and the S3 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the G85 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor measurements.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The G85 was released 5 years later than the S3 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic G85 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a complete comparison, below is a short summary of how the G85 scores versus the S3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic G85 over the Panasonic S3

 G85 S3 
ReleasedSeptember 2016January 2011Fresher by 70 months
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1040k230kCrisper display (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic S3 over the Panasonic G85

 S3 G85 

Common features in the Panasonic G85 and Panasonic S3

 G85 S3 

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic G85 enjoys outer measurements of 128mm x 89mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 505 grams (1.11 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S3 has proportions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Check the Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the G85 against the S3.

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the G85 and S3 is 69 and 96 respectively.

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reading through specifications. The visual here should give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the G85 and S3.

To sum up, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The G85 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic G85 will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos far more aggressively. The fresher G85 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic G85
Portrait photography with Panasonic S3
72
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
supports RAW files
28
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
no manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Panasonic G85 Street photography factors
Panasonic S3 Street photography factors
77
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
includes focus via touch
weather proofing
very good high ISO (25,600)
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (117 grams)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic G85
Sports photography with Panasonic S3
64
silent shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
not so great battery pack (330 shots)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
35
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic G85
Travel photography with Panasonic S3
71
weather proofing
includes focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
not so great battery pack (330 shots)
68
lighter than competitors (117 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G85 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic S3 Landscape photography highlights
73
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
doesnt have low pass filter
very good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
not so great battery pack (330 CIPA)
38
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Time Lapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G85 Vlogging factors
Panasonic S3 Vlogging factors
78
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone port
31
reasonably wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (117g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic port
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Panasonic G85 vs Panasonic S3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G85 and Panasonic S3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3
Other name Lumix DMC-G80 -
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2016-09-19 2011-01-05
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3448 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 49 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 9.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.20 m (at ISO 100) 3.30 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
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 505 grams (1.11 lbs) 117 grams (0.26 lbs)
Dimensions 128 x 89 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 2.9") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 656 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 250 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, 10 secs x 3 shots) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at release $900 $110