Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax P80

Here is a complete assessment of the Panasonic GH3 versus Pentax P80, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the GH3 (16MP) and P80 (12MP) and the GH3 (Four Thirds) and P80 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

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The GH3 was revealed 3 years later than the P80 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the GH3 matches up against the P80 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 & Pentax Optio P80. The full galleries are available at Panasonic GH3 Gallery & Pentax P80 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic GH3 comes with outer dimensions of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) whilst the Pentax P80 has specifications of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic GH3 versus Pentax P80 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. The following is the front view size comparison of the GH3 and the P80.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the GH3 and P80 is 66 and 95 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizing simply by viewing specifications. The photograph below should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the GH3 and P80.

Plainly, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The GH3 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic GH3 will result in extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The more modern GH3 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.