Panasonic GF3 vs Sony a5100
90 Imaging
47 Features
48 Overall
47


89 Imaging
65 Features
74 Overall
68
Panasonic GF3 vs Sony a5100 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 160 - 6400
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 264g - 108 x 67 x 32mm
- Revealed August 2011
- Previous Model is Panasonic GF2
- Successor is Panasonic GF5
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 283g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
- Introduced August 2014
- Previous Model is Sony a5000

Panasonic GF3 vs Sony a5100 Overview
Its time to take a more detailed look at the Panasonic GF3 versus Sony a5100, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the GF3 (12MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the GF3 (Four Thirds) and a5100 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

The GF3 was manufactured 4 years before the a5100 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).
Before we go straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the GF3 scores against the a5100 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Panasonic GF3 vs Sony a5100 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 & Sony Alpha a5100. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic GF3 Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic GF3 over the Sony a5100
GF3 | a5100 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Panasonic GF3
a5100 | GF3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | August 2014 | ![]() | August 2011 | Newer by 36 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+462k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic GF3 and Sony a5100
GF3 | a5100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent screen measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither comes with selfie screen | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Panasonic GF3 vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic GF3 comes with outside dimensions of 108mm x 67mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 264 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Sony a5100 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).
See the Panasonic GF3 versus Sony a5100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the GF3 vs the a5100.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GF3 and a5100 is 90 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic GF3 vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it can be hard to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading technical specs. The picture underneath will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the GF3 and a5100.
As you can tell, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GF3 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony a5100 will offer you more detail due to its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged GF3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic GF3 vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF3 vs Sony a5100 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 | Sony Alpha a5100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Panasonic | Sony |
Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 | Sony Alpha a5100 |
Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2011-08-11 | 2014-08-17 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | Venus Engine FHD | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12MP | 24MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 6000 x 4000 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 25600 |
Lowest native ISO | 160 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Number of focus points | 23 | 179 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Available lenses | 107 | 121 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 460 thousand dots | 922 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Display tech | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames/s | 6.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 6.30 m | 4.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/160 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 264g (0.58 lb) | 283g (0.62 lb) |
Dimensions | 108 x 67 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.3") | 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 50 | 80 |
DXO Color Depth score | 20.6 | 23.8 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 10.1 | 12.7 |
DXO Low light score | 459 | 1347 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 300 images | 400 images |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot)) |
Time lapse recording | With downloadable app | |
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | One | One |
Price at launch | $360 | $448 |