Panasonic GH3 vs Sony A7

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Panasonic GH3 vs Sony A7

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4/3 224.9mm²
16.1 megapixels
ISO 200 - 12,800

Go in depth with our full Panasonic GH3 Review.
See real-world photos taken with the GH3.

35mm 855.6mm²
24.3 megapixels
ISO 100 - 25,600

Go in depth with our full Sony A7 Review.
How does it shoot? Sony A7 in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the A7.
Compare Sony A7 image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Sony A7 conclusion.

Succeeded by the Panasonic GH4
Compare GH3 vs GH4

Succeeded by the Sony A7 II
Compare A7 vs A7 II

Compare PANASONIC GH4 vs SONY A7 II

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Differences

Panasonic GH3 advantages over Sony A7

Tilt-swivel screen
Tilt-swivel vs tilt-only
Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Touchscreen
Touch vs No touch
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Fast startup
~0.80 vs 2.1 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
Longer stills battery life
More info

Longer stills battery life

Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

540 vs 340 shots
Capture more photos
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Longer exposure
60 vs 30 sec
Long exposures for night shots
Faster JPEG shooting
6.1 fps vs 5.0 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Bigger JPEG buffer
Unlimited vs 50 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)

Sony A7 advantages over Panasonic GH3

Focus peaking
Peaker vs Non-peaker
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
Larger sensor
35mm vs 4/3
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
Bigger pixels
~ 5.97 vs 3.75 microns
Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
NFC
Yes vs No
Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
Higher effective ISO

Higher effective ISO

Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

You can learn more at our glossary entry.

Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
A7 test data on DxO Mark GH3 test data on DxO Mark

2,248 vs 812 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
More dynamic range

More dynamic range

Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
A7 test data on DxO Mark GH3 test data on DxO Mark

14.2 vs 12.3 evs
Retain detail in highlight and shadows
On-sensor phase detect
Yes vs No
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Thinner
48 mm vs 82 mm
Thinner
Higher max flash sync
1/250 vs 1/160 sec
Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
Higher-res screen
307k vs 205k pixels
More detail on the screen lets you judge focus and composition
More pixels
24.3 vs 16.1 megapixels
Higher resolution photos
Faster shutter
1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
Shoot wide open in bright light
Higher extended ISO
51200 vs 25600 ISO
Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
Built-in Wi-Fi
Both provide
Share your photos wirelessly
External Mic Jack
Both provide
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
HDMI out
Both provide
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Headphone jack
Both provide
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Neither provide
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
Built-in GPS
Neither provide
Geotag your photos
Top deck display
Neither provide
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
Dual card slots
Neither provide
Gives you more storage flexibility
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

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Adorama
Read GH3 User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read A7 User Reviews

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Body Only
Kit with 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 lens

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Review Excerpt

Professional quality video in a compact body; Still image quality ranks with the best mirrorless models and even some prosumer DSLRs; Fast autofocus; Rugged, weatherized camera build; Reasonably priced for its advanced feature set; Large selection of high quality lenses.
Not as compact as most mirrorless cameras; Live View not available during high speed bursts; High ISO image quality and dynamic range not quite as good as top APS-C cameras.
Read our Panasonic GH3 Review

Incredibly small body for a fully-featured, full-frame camera; Very high resolution; Hybrid autofocus is reasonably fast and confident; Significantly better burst-shooting performance than A7R; Excellent image quality even at very high sensitivities; Faster x-sync than A7R; Accepts existing Alpha-mount and E-mount lenses, and can optionally crop to APS-C image circle.
Grass-is-greener syndrome when compared to its higher-res sibling; Moderate performance; Loud shutter (but electronic first-curtain helps); Mediocre battery life when using electronic viewfinder; Weak low-light autofocus considering its price; Limited selection of native Sony FE lenses.
Read our Sony A7 Review

The Competition

Compared to Sony A7R

Panasonic GH3

Sony A7R

$798
4/3

Lens selection
Tilt-swivel screen

$1399
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

Compare Panasonic GH3 vs Sony A7R

Sony A7

Sony A7R

$748
35mm

Less expensive
Bigger pixels

$1399
35mm

Higher effective ISO
More pixels

Compare Sony A7 vs Sony A7R

Compared to Panasonic G5

Panasonic GH3

Panasonic G5

$798
4/3

Tilt-swivel screen
Fast startup

$500
4/3

Higher-res screen

Compare Panasonic GH3 vs Panasonic G5

Sony A7

Panasonic G5

$748
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$500
4/3

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A7 vs Panasonic G5

Compared to Olympus E-M1

Panasonic GH3

Olympus E-M1

$798
4/3

Tilt-swivel screen
Longer stills battery life

$1099
4/3

Focus peaking
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Panasonic GH3 vs Olympus E-M1

Sony A7

Olympus E-M1

$748
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

$1099
4/3

Lens selection
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Sony A7 vs Olympus E-M1

Compared to Panasonic GH4

Panasonic GH3

Panasonic GH4

$798
4/3

$898
4/3

Focus peaking
Shoot 4K video

Compare Panasonic GH3 vs Panasonic GH4

Sony A7

Panasonic GH4

$748
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

$898
4/3

Tilt-swivel screen
Lens selection

Compare Sony A7 vs Panasonic GH4

Compared to Sony A7 II

Panasonic GH3

Sony A7 II

$798
4/3

Tilt-swivel screen
Lens selection

$1077
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

Compare Panasonic GH3 vs Sony A7 II

Sony A7

Sony A7 II

$748
35mm

Less expensive

$1077
35mm

In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Sony A7 vs Sony A7 II

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