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Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650

Portability
66
Imaging
52
Features
80
Overall
63
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 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
  • Announced September 2012
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH2
  • Renewed by Panasonic GH4
Sony W650
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 124g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Released January 2012
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Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 Overview

In this write-up, we will be contrasting the Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the GH3 (16MP) and the W650 (16MP) is relatively similar but the GH3 (Four Thirds) and W650 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The GH3 was released 9 months after the W650 which means that they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic GH3 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W650 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a in depth comparison, below is a short view of how the GH3 grades against the W650 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH3 over the Sony W650

 GH3 W650 
ReleasedSeptember 2012January 2012More modern by 9 months
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution614k230kClearer screen (+384k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W650 over the Panasonic GH3

 W650 GH3 

Common features in the Panasonic GH3 and Sony W650

 GH3 W650 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera often, you should factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic GH3 has exterior measurements of 133mm x 93mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") along with a weight of 550 grams (1.21 lbs) while the Sony W650 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 124 grams (0.27 lbs).

See the Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the GH3 vs the W650.

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH3 and W650 is 66 and 96 respectively.

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizes only by going over a spec sheet. The image here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the GH3 and W650.

As you can see, both the cameras offer the same exact megapixel count albeit different sensor sizes. The GH3 provides the bigger sensor which will make achieving bokeh simpler. The younger GH3 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Portrait photography advice
Sony W650 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
exports RAW formats
34
decent megapixels (16MP)
provides face detect focus
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Street photography factors
Sony W650 Street photography factors
65
screen articulates fully
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
weather sealing
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (124 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Sports photography info
Sony W650 Sports photography info
63
high fps (20.0 frames per second)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
great battery power (540 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
low frames per second (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH3 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W650 as a Travel photography camera
71
great battery power (540 per charge)
weather sealing
comes with focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
69
lighter than average in class (124 grams)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
no Timelapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Landscape photography factors
Sony W650 Landscape photography factors
71
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
great battery power (540 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
43
reasonably wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
no manual control
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH3 Vlogging advice
Sony W650 Vlogging advice
65
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
includes face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone support
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (550 grams)
33
reasonably wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focus
lighter than average in class (124 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone jack
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Panasonic GH3 vs Sony W650 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH3 and Sony W650
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2012-09-17 2012-01-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine VII FHD BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 23 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 614 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech OLED Monitor with static touch control Clear Photo TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,744 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.67x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 2 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 20.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.70 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs -
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 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
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 550 gr (1.21 lb) 124 gr (0.27 lb)
Dimensions 133 x 93 x 82mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.2") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 220 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, microSD/micro SDHC, Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $799 $140