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Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
93
Imaging
52
Features
60
Overall
55
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
53
Features
55
Overall
53

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Panasonic GM1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 204g - 99 x 55 x 30mm
  • Released December 2013
  • New Model is Panasonic GM5
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Released June 2010
  • Updated by Sony NEX-C3
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Lets look closer at the Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the GM1 (16MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty close but the GM1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-3 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The GM1 was manufactured 3 years later than the NEX-3 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the GM1 scores against the NEX-3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GM1 over the Sony NEX-3

 GM1 NEX-3 
ReleasedDecember 2013June 2010Fresher by 44 months
Screen resolution1036k920kClearer screen (+116k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Panasonic GM1

 NEX-3 GM1 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Panasonic GM1 and Sony NEX-3

 GM1 NEX-3 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GM1 comes with exterior dimensions of 99mm x 55mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") having a weight of 204 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has measurements of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the GM1 vs the NEX-3.

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the GM1 and NEX-3 is 93 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor sizing merely by researching specs. The visual here will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the GM1 and NEX-3.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The GM1 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic GM1 will result in more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more recent GM1 will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GM1 Portrait photography highlights
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography highlights
64
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
no external flash support
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GM1
Street photography with Sony NEX-3
76
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch to focus
lighter than competitors in class (204g)
great ISO range (25,600)
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
76
tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GM1
Sports photography with Sony NEX-3
48
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
max shutter speed is low (1/500 seconds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
bad battery life (230 shots)
lack of phase detect autofocus
51
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
no image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GM1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
74
lighter than competitors in class (204 grams)
includes touch to focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
bad battery life (230 CIPA)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
59
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GM1 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography factors
68
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
bad battery life (230 shots)
67
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
megapixel count good (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GM1
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
35
built-in touchscreen
features face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (204g)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
does not have external mic support
27
features face detect focusing
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic jack
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Panasonic GM1 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GM1 and Sony NEX-3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2013-12-19 2010-06-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3448 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 23 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Display resolution 1,036k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/500 secs 1/4000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/50 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 24p), 1280 x 720p (60p, 50p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4
Mic 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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 204 gr (0.45 lb) 297 gr (0.65 lb)
Dimensions 99 x 55 x 30mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 66 68
DXO Color Depth score 22.3 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score 11.7 12.0
DXO Low light score 660 830
Other
Battery life 230 pictures 330 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $750 $0