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Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1

Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
 
Sony Alpha a1 front
Portability
61
Imaging
82
Features
93
Overall
86

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 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
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH2
  • Replacement is Panasonic GH4
Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Boost to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Announced January 2021
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the GH3 (16MP) and a1 (50MP) and the GH3 (Four Thirds) and a1 (Full frame) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The GH3 was revealed 9 years earlier than the a1 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick summation of how the GH3 matches up vs the a1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Sony a1

 GH3 a1 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Panasonic GH3

 a1 GH3 
AnnouncedJanuary 2021September 2012More recent by 101 months
Screen resolution1440k614kCrisper screen (+826k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH3 and Sony a1

 GH3 a1 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH3 provides outer 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 Sony a1 has proportions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the GH3 vs the a1.

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH3 and a1 is 66 and 61 respectively.

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is tough to see the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading specs. The graphic underneath might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GH3 and a1.

All in all, each of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GH3 with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony a1 will deliver more detail because of its extra 34MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older GH3 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Portrait photography advice
Sony a1 Portrait photography advice
71
focusing manually
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
supports RAW files
89
has manual focus
above average flash sync (1/400s)
MP count amazing (50 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Street photography advice
Sony a1 Street photography advice
65
screen articulates
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
features focus by touch
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than average (550 grams)
79
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
supports focus via touch
weather proofing
good ISO range (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Sports photography info
Sony a1 Sports photography info
63
high max frames per second (20.0 frames per second)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
great battery pack (540 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect AF
91
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count amazing (50 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proofing
great battery (530 per charge)
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GH3
Travel photography with Sony a1
71
great battery pack (540 shots)
weather proofing
features focus by touch
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
more heavy than average (550g)
74
great battery (530 CIPA)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
supports focus via touch
MP count amazing (50 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography highlights
Sony a1 Landscape photography highlights
71
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
weather proofing
great battery pack (540 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
88
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count amazing (50MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
good ISO range (32,000)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
great battery (530 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GH3
Vlogging with Sony a1
65
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
features face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone port
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than average (550g)
37
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focusing
great video quality (7680 x 4320 resolution)
comes with external microphone jack
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Panasonic GH3 vs Sony a1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH3 and Sony a1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3Sony Alpha a1
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Sony Alpha a1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2012-09-17 2021-01-26
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine VII FHD -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 50 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 8640 x 5760
Highest native ISO 12800 32000
Highest boosted ISO - 102400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 23 759
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 133
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 614k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech OLED Monitor with static touch control -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,744k dot 9,437k dot
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.67x 0.9x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed 20.0 frames/s 30.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160s 1/400s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 7680x4320
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 550 grams (1.21 lb) 737 grams (1.62 lb)
Physical dimensions 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
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 photos 530 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported)
Storage slots One Dual
Cost at launch $799 $6,498