What is the crop factor of the Panasonic G3?

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor, whose diagonal measures 21.6mm. The sensor has a crop factor (or format factor, or focal length multiplier) of 2.0.

The crop factor is defined as the ratio of the 35mm full-frame film diagonal to the diagonal of a digital sensor. This number indicates how a lens behaves in relation to the size of the image sensor.

Sensor size comparison with a film slide

With a crop factor of 2.0, the sensor in the Panasonic G3 is smaller than the receptor area of a 35mm film slide or negative. As a result, a lens that is attached to the Panasonic G3 will offer a narrower angle of view and provide deeper depth of field than a lens of similar focal length and aperture on a film camera. The equivalent focal length is obtained by multiplying the actual focal length of the lens with the crop factor. For example, a 25mm lens on the Panasonic G3 will provide the same angle of view and depth of field as a 50mm normal lens on a film camera (25mm * 2.0 = 50mm).

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Panasonic G3 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Panasonic G3	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60i	21.0	10.6	667	56
2.		Panasonic G1	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	none	21.1	10.3	463	53
3.		Panasonic G2	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.3	493	53
4.		Panasonic G5	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	21.4	11.6	618	61
5.		Panasonic G6	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	21.3	11.5	639	61
6.		Panasonic G10	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	720/30p	21.2	10.1	411	52
7.		Panasonic GF2	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60i	21.2	10.3	506	54
8.		Panasonic GF3	Four Thirds	12.0	4000	3000	1080/60i	20.6	10.1	459	50
9.		Panasonic GF6	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60i	20.7	10.6	622	54
10.		Panasonic GH2	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	21.2	11.3	655	60
11.		Panasonic GX1	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60p	20.8	10.6	703	55

In the United States, the G3 was initially launched in May 2011 at a price of $599.

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Camera to camera comparisons

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