Panasonic GH3 vs Sony A7 II

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Panasonic GH3 vs Sony A7 II

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

Succeeded by the Panasonic GH4
Compare GH3 vs GH4

Succeeded by the Sony A7 III
Compare A7 II vs A7 III

Compare PANASONIC GH4 vs SONY A7 III

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Differences

Panasonic GH3 advantages over Sony A7 II

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 1.7 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 350 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 52 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)

Sony A7 II 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.
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
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 II test data on DxO Mark GH3 test data on DxO Mark

2,449 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 II test data on DxO Mark GH3 test data on DxO Mark

13.6 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
59 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

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

Amazon
Adorama
Read GH3 User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read A7 II User Reviews

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Buy the Panasonic GH3

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Buy the Sony A7 II

Body Only

Body Only
Kit with 28-70mm Lens

All A7 II Deals

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

Excellent 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization; Sensor-shift IS brings stabilization to nearly any lens; Much-improved ergonomics and top-deck control layout; 'Mark II' maintains same impressive image quality, dynamic range and high ISO performance; XAVC S 50Mbps video format; Faster start-up time; Hybrid AF performs well with good continuous AF.
(Similar to A7): Loud shutter (but electronic first-curtain helps); Battery life could be better; Low-light AF still not as good as most DSLRs; High ISO JPEGs look over-processed; Slow buffer clearing; Limited selection of native Sony FE lenses (but it's getting better).
Read our Sony A7 II Review

The Competition

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 II

Panasonic G5

$1148
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$500
4/3

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A7 II 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 II

Olympus E-M1

$1148
35mm

Larger sensor
Bigger pixels

$1099
4/3

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A7 II vs Olympus E-M1

Compared to Sony A7

Panasonic GH3

Sony A7

$798
4/3

Tilt-swivel screen
Lens selection

$748
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

Compare Panasonic GH3 vs Sony A7

Sony A7 II

Sony A7

$1148
35mm

In-Camera Image Stabilization

$748
35mm

Less expensive

Compare Sony A7 II vs Sony A7

Compared to Panasonic GH4

Panasonic GH3

Panasonic GH4

$798
4/3

$998
4/3

Focus peaking
Shoot 4K video

Compare Panasonic GH3 vs Panasonic GH4

Sony A7 II

Panasonic GH4

$1148
35mm

Larger sensor
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$998
4/3

Lens selection
Less expensive

Compare Sony A7 II vs Panasonic GH4

Compared to Sony A7 III

Panasonic GH3

Sony A7 III

$798
4/3

Lens selection
Tilt-swivel screen

$1531
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

Compare Panasonic GH3 vs Sony A7 III

Sony A7 II

Sony A7 III

$1148
35mm

In-camera panoramas

$1531
35mm

Shoot 4K video
Touchscreen

Compare Sony A7 II vs Sony A7 III

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