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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18

Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
 
Pentax Optio RZ18 front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 Key Specs

Panasonic GH3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 550g - 133 x 93 x 82mm
  • Revealed September 2012
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic GH2
  • Replacement is Panasonic GH4
Pentax RZ18
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
  • Introduced September 2011
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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 Overview

The following is a extended comparison of the Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the GH3 (16MP) and the RZ18 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the GH3 (Four Thirds) and RZ18 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The GH3 was manufactured 13 months after the RZ18 making them a generation away from each other. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the GH3 grades vs the RZ18 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Pentax RZ18

 GH3 RZ18 
IntroducedSeptember 2012September 2011Newer by 13 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution614k460kCrisper display (+154k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Panasonic GH3

 RZ18 GH3 

Common features in the Panasonic GH3 and Pentax RZ18

 GH3 RZ18 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH3 has got exterior dimensions of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) while the Pentax RZ18 has proportions of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the GH3 and the RZ18.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the GH3 and RZ18 is 66 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is hard to see the gap in sensor dimensions simply by seeing specs. The pic here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH3 and RZ18.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide the same resolution but not the same sensor dimensions. The GH3 includes the larger sensor which is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler. The newer GH3 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH3 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax RZ18 as a Portrait photography camera
71
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW files
36
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GH3
Street photography with Pentax RZ18
65
fully articulated screen
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
has touch to focus
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than others (550 grams)
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
lighter than average (178 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax RZ18 as a Sports photography camera
63
fast continuous shooting (20.0 fps)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
great battery pack (540 per charge)
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect AF
47
long zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
environment sealing
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Travel photography details
Pentax RZ18 Travel photography details
71
great battery pack (540 CIPA)
weather proofing
has touch to focus
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
more heavy than others (550g)
71
lighter than average (178 grams)
environment sealing
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
long reach (450mm)
lack of Timelapse function
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography information
Pentax RZ18 Landscape photography information
71
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
decent megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
great battery pack (540 shots)
does not have image stabilization
49
focusing manually
reasonably wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Vlogging details
Pentax RZ18 Vlogging details
65
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone port
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than others (550g)
30
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (178g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone jack
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Panasonic GH3 vs Pentax RZ18 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH3 and Pentax RZ18
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3Pentax Optio RZ18
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Pentax Optio RZ18
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2012-09-17 2011-09-12
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine VII FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-450mm (18.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 4cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 614 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech OLED Monitor with static touch control TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,744 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.67x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 20.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 2.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 550g (1.21 pounds) 178g (0.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 812 not tested
Other
Battery life 540 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $799 $210