Panasonic GH4 vs Panasonic ZR3

Let's look closer at the Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic ZR3, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both sold by Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the GH4 (16MP) and the ZR3 (14MP) is very well matched but the GH4 (Four Thirds) and ZR3 (1/2.3") possess different sensor measurements.

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The GH4 was unveiled 4 years after the ZR3 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH4 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZR3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a quick overview of how the GH4 scores against the ZR3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic GH4 Gallery & Panasonic ZR3 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH4 enjoys external measurements of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") with a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs) and the Panasonic ZR3 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic ZR3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view size comparison of the GH4 compared to the ZR3.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH4 and ZR3 is 66 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizes merely by looking at technical specs. The image underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GH4 and ZR3.

As you have seen, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The GH4 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic GH4 will resolve more detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The younger GH4 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.