Panasonic GF3 vs Sony A100

Lets take a more detailed look at the Panasonic GF3 vs Sony A100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the GF3 (12MP) and the A100 (10MP) is relatively similar but the GF3 (Four Thirds) and A100 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The GF3 was revealed 5 years later than the A100 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GF3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short overview of how the GF3 scores vs the A100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic GF3 Gallery and Sony A100 Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GF3 offers exterior dimensions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Sony A100 has measurements of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic GF3 vs Sony A100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the GF3 and the A100.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the GF3 and A100 is 90 and 64 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing only by reading a spec sheet. The visual below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the GF3 and A100.

As you can see, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The GF3 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic GF3 will offer you more detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The younger GF3 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.