Canon 1Ds MIII has a
21.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Panasonic GM1 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Canon 1Ds MIII's sensor provides 5MP more than Panasonic GM1's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the 1Ds MIII and GM1 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 1Ds MIII and Panasonic GM1 Cameras
As seen above, Canon 1Ds MIII has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GM1. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Canon 1Ds MIII and Panasonic GM1 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, 1Ds MIII has scored 80, 14 points higher than GM1.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 1Ds MIII
80
24.0 bits
12.0 Evs
1663 ISO
Panasonic GM1
66
22.3 bits
11.7 Evs
660 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Canon 1Ds MIII
or the
Panasonic GM1 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame versus Four Thirds),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
