Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 vs. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Comparison

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Lumix DMC-GH2 image
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Lumix DMC-G3 image
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
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Megapixels
16.05
15.80
Max. image resolution
4608 x 3456
4592 x 3448

Sensor

Sensor type
CMOS
CMOS
Sensor size
Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm)
Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm)
Sensor resolution
4620 x 3474
4585 x 3447
Diagonal
21.64 mm
21.64 mm
Sensor size comparison
Sensor size is generally a good indicator of the quality of the camera. Sensors can vary greatly in size. As a general rule, the bigger the sensor, the better the image quality.

Bigger sensors are more effective because they have more surface area to capture light. An important factor when comparing digital cameras is also camera generation. Generally, newer sensors will outperform the older.

Learn more about sensor sizes »

Actual sensor size

Note: Actual size is set to screen → change »
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1 : 1
(ratio)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
Surface area:
224.90 mm² vs 224.90 mm²
Difference: 0 mm² (0%)
GH2 and G3 sensors are the same size.
Pixel pitch
3.74 µm
3.77 µm
Pixel pitch tells you the distance from the center of one pixel (photosite) to the center of the next. It tells you how close the pixels are to each other.

The bigger the pixel pitch, the further apart they are and the bigger each pixel is. Bigger pixels tend to have better signal to noise ratio and greater dynamic range.
Difference: 0.03 µm (0.8%)
Pixel pitch of G3 is approx. 0.8% higher than pixel pitch of GH2.
Pixel area
13.99 µm²
14.21 µm²
Pixel or photosite area affects how much light per pixel can be gathered. The larger it is the more light can be collected by a single pixel.

Larger pixels have the potential to collect more photons, resulting in greater dynamic range, while smaller pixels provide higher resolutions (more detail) for a given sensor size.
Relative pixel sizes:
vs
Pixel area difference: 0.22 µm² (2%)
A pixel on Panasonic G3 sensor is approx. 2% bigger than a pixel on Panasonic GH2.
Pixel density
7.13 MP/cm²
7.02 MP/cm²
Pixel density tells you how many million pixels fit or would fit in one square cm of the sensor.

Higher pixel density means smaller pixels and lower pixel density means larger pixels.
Difference: 0.11 µm (2%)
Panasonic GH2 has approx. 2% higher pixel density than Panasonic G3.
To learn about the accuracy of these numbers, click here.



Specs

Panasonic GH2
Panasonic G3
Crop factor
2
2
Total megapixels
18.31
16.60
Effective megapixels
16.05
15.80
Optical zoom
Digital zoom
Yes
Yes
ISO sensitivity
Auto, 160 - 12800
Auto, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400
RAW
Manual focus
Normal focus range
Macro focus range
Focal length (35mm equiv.)
Aperture priority
Yes
Yes
Max. aperture
Max. aperture (35mm equiv.)
n/a
n/a
Metering
Centre weighted, Intelligent Multiple, Spot
Centre weighted, Multi-segment, Spot
Exposure compensation
±5 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
±5 EV (in 1/3 EV steps)
Shutter priority
Yes
Yes
Min. shutter speed
60 sec
60 sec
Max. shutter speed
1/4000 sec
1/4000 sec
Built-in flash
External flash
Viewfinder
Electronic
Electronic
White balance presets
5
5
Screen size
3"
3"
Screen resolution
460,000 dots
460,000 dots
Video capture
Max. video resolution
Storage types
SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital
SDHC, SDXC, Secure Digital
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI
Wireless
GPS
Battery
Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
Weight
342 g
336 g
Dimensions
124 x 89.6 x 75.8 mm
115 x 84 x 47 mm
Year
2010
2011




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Diagonal

Diagonal is calculated by the use of Pythagorean theorem:
Diagonal = √  w² + h²
where w = sensor width and h = sensor height

Panasonic GH2 diagonal

w = 17.30 mm
h = 13.00 mm
Diagonal = √  17.30² + 13.00²   = 21.64 mm

Panasonic G3 diagonal

w = 17.30 mm
h = 13.00 mm
Diagonal = √  17.30² + 13.00²   = 21.64 mm


Surface area

Surface area is calculated by multiplying the width and the height of a sensor.

GH2 sensor area

Width = 17.30 mm
Height = 13.00 mm

Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 mm²

G3 sensor area

Width = 17.30 mm
Height = 13.00 mm

Surface area = 17.30 × 13.00 = 224.90 mm²


Pixel pitch

Pixel pitch is the distance from the center of one pixel to the center of the next measured in micrometers (µm). It can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel pitch =   sensor width in mm  × 1000
sensor resolution width in pixels

GH2 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4620 pixels
Pixel pitch =   17.30  × 1000  = 3.74 µm
4620

G3 pixel pitch

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor resolution width = 4585 pixels
Pixel pitch =   17.30  × 1000  = 3.77 µm
4585


Pixel area

The area of one pixel can be calculated by simply squaring the pixel pitch:
Pixel area = pixel pitch²

You could also divide sensor surface area with effective megapixels:
Pixel area =   sensor surface area in mm²
effective megapixels

GH2 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 3.74 µm

Pixel area = 3.74² = 13.99 µm²

G3 pixel area

Pixel pitch = 3.77 µm

Pixel area = 3.77² = 14.21 µm²


Pixel density

Pixel density can be calculated with the following formula:
Pixel density =  ( sensor resolution width in pixels )² / 1000000
sensor width in cm

One could also use this formula:
Pixel density =   effective megapixels × 1000000  / 10000
sensor surface area in mm²

GH2 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4620 pixels
Sensor width = 1.73 cm

Pixel density = (4620 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 7.13 MP/cm²

G3 pixel density

Sensor resolution width = 4585 pixels
Sensor width = 1.73 cm

Pixel density = (4585 / 1.73)² / 1000000 = 7.02 MP/cm²


Sensor resolution

Sensor resolution is calculated from sensor size and effective megapixels. It's slightly higher than maximum (not interpolated) image resolution which is usually stated on camera specifications. Sensor resolution is used in pixel pitch, pixel area, and pixel density formula. For sake of simplicity, we're going to calculate it in 3 stages.

1. First we need to find the ratio between horizontal and vertical length by dividing the former with the latter (aspect ratio). It's usually 1.33 (4:3) or 1.5 (3:2), but not always.

2. With the ratio (r) known we can calculate the X from the formula below, where X is a vertical number of pixels:
(X × r) × X = effective megapixels × 1000000    →   
X = √  effective megapixels × 1000000
r
3. To get sensor resolution we then multiply X with the corresponding ratio:

Resolution horizontal: X × r
Resolution vertical: X

GH2 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 16.05
r = 17.30/13.00 = 1.33
X = √  16.05 × 1000000  = 3474
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3474 × 1.33 = 4620
Resolution vertical: X = 3474

Sensor resolution = 4620 x 3474

G3 sensor resolution

Sensor width = 17.30 mm
Sensor height = 13.00 mm
Effective megapixels = 15.80
r = 17.30/13.00 = 1.33
X = √  15.80 × 1000000  = 3447
1.33
Resolution horizontal: X × r = 3447 × 1.33 = 4585
Resolution vertical: X = 3447

Sensor resolution = 4585 x 3447


Crop factor

Crop factor or focal length multiplier is calculated by dividing the diagonal of 35 mm film (43.27 mm) with the diagonal of the sensor.
Crop factor =   43.27 mm
sensor diagonal in mm


GH2 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 21.64 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 2
21.64

G3 crop factor

Sensor diagonal in mm = 21.64 mm
Crop factor =   43.27  = 2
21.64

35 mm equivalent aperture

Equivalent aperture (in 135 film terms) is calculated by multiplying lens aperture with crop factor (a.k.a. focal length multiplier).

GH2 equivalent aperture

Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for Panasonic GH2, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Panasonic GH2 is 2

G3 equivalent aperture

Aperture is a lens characteristic, so it's calculated only for fixed lens cameras. If you want to know the equivalent aperture for Panasonic G3, take the aperture of the lens you're using and multiply it with crop factor.

Crop factor for Panasonic G3 is 2

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