Panasonic GH3 vs Panasonic ZS40

Let's take a deeper look at the Panasonic GH3 and Panasonic ZS40, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Panasonic. The resolution of the GH3 (16MP) and the ZS40 (18MP) is very comparable but the GH3 (Four Thirds) and ZS40 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The GH3 was unveiled 15 months earlier than the ZS40 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS40 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the GH3 scores vs the ZS40 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40. The full galleries are available at Panasonic GH3 Gallery and Panasonic ZS40 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH3 provides external dimensions of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has proportions of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GH3 and Panasonic ZS40 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the GH3 against the ZS40.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the GH3 and ZS40 is 66 and 90 respectively.

Generally, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through a spec sheet. The photograph here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the GH3 and ZS40.

As you can see, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The GH3 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic ZS40 will show greater detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The older GH3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.