Panasonic GF3 vs Panasonic ZS100

On this page, we are comparing the Panasonic GF3 and Panasonic ZS100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Panasonic. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the GF3 (12MP) and ZS100 (20MP) and the GF3 (Four Thirds) and ZS100 (1") posses different sensor sizes.

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The GF3 was launched 5 years before the ZS100 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving into a in depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the GF3 scores against the ZS100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic GF3 Gallery and Panasonic ZS100 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GF3 offers outer dimensions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS100 has proportions of 111mm x 65mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 312 grams (0.69 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic GF3 and Panasonic ZS100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the GF3 and the ZS100.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the GF3 and ZS100 is 90 and 87 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reviewing specs. The graphic below may give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GF3 and ZS100.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GF3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic ZS100 will offer you more detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older GF3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.