Panasonic GH3 vs Panasonic ZS50

On this page, we are looking at the Panasonic GH3 versus Panasonic ZS50, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are manufactured by Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the GH3 (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) and the GH3 (Four Thirds) and ZS50 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The GH3 was announced 3 years before the ZS50 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the GH3 matches up versus the ZS50 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic GH3 Gallery & Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GH3 features physical measurements 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 ZS50 has measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") along with a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic GH3 versus Panasonic ZS50 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at the time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the GH3 against the ZS50.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the GH3 and ZS50 is 66 and 90 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by reviewing specs. The graphic below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the GH3 and ZS50.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The GH3 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh easier and the Panasonic GH3 will offer extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older GH3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.