Panasonic GH3 vs Panasonic ZS5

Below, we are matching up the Panasonic GH3 versus Panasonic ZS5, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both designed by Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the GH3 (16MP) and ZS5 (12MP) and the GH3 (Four Thirds) and ZS5 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The GH3 was revealed 2 years after the ZS5 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS5 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a in-depth comparison, below is a short view of how the GH3 scores versus the ZS5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic GH3 Gallery & Panasonic ZS5 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH3 provides physical measurements of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") and a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) while the Panasonic ZS5 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 214 grams (0.47 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic GH3 versus Panasonic ZS5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the GH3 compared to the ZS5.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH3 and ZS5 is 66 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions purely by viewing specs. The image below may give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GH3 and ZS5.

All in all, both of those cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GH3 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Panasonic GH3 will provide you with extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The fresher GH3 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.