Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Panasonic GF3 has external dimensions of 108 x 67 x 32 mm (4.25 x 2.64 x 1.26″) and weighs 264 g (0.58 lb / 9.31 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 8mm narrower, 7mm shorter and 3mm thinner than Panasonic GF3.
![Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic GF3 Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3.
![Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic GF3 Camera Size Comparison - Back View]()
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3 Size and Weight - Back View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3.
![Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic GF3 Camera Size Comparison - Top View]()
Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3 Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon 1 J4 is 32g lighter than the Panasonic GF3 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.
Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies.
Weight Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Thickness Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections: Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".
Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Panasonic GF3 has a 12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine FHD processor.
Nikon 1 J4's sensor provides 6MP more than Panasonic GF3'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 1 J4 and GF3 sensor size comparison.
![Nikon 1 J4 vs Panasonic GF3 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3 Cameras
As seen above, Panasonic GF3 has a 1.9x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. 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.
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Panasonic GF3 has an advantage over Nikon 1 J4 There are 107 lenses for Panasonic GF3's Micro Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J4's Nikon 1 lens mount.
Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount and 31 lenses for Micro Four Thirds mount with IS.
| Lens Type |
# of Nikon 1 J4 Lenses |
# of Panasonic GF3 Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
4 |
15 |
| Standard Prime |
2 |
13 |
| Wideangle Zoom |
1 |
5 |
| Wideangle Prime |
2 |
29 |
| Telephoto Zoom |
2 |
18 |
| Telephoto Prime |
n/a |
9 |
| SuperZoom |
2 |
8 |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
n/a |
5 |
| Macro Prime |
n/a |
4 |
| Perspective Control Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
1 |
| TOTAL |
13 |
107 |
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography
Panasonic GF3 for Portrait Photography
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography
Panasonic GF3 for Street Photography
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography
Panasonic GF3 for Sports Photography
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
23 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography
Panasonic GF3 for Daily Photography
Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography
Panasonic GF3 for Landscape Photography
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J4 and Panasonic GF3 scores compare:
Nikon 1 J4
Ranked
#70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#327 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Panasonic GF3
Ranked
#104 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#440 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Nikon 1 J4 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic GF3 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Nikon 1 J4 |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 |
| Brand |
Nikon |
Panasonic |
| Announced |
2014-04-10 |
2011-08-11 |
| Body Type |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
1" |
Four Thirds |
| Dimensions |
13.2 x 8.8 mm |
17.3 x 13 mm |
| Area |
116.16mm2 |
224.90mm2 |
| Megapixels |
18 megapixels |
12 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
5232 x 3488 |
4000 x 3000 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
12,800 ISO |
6,400 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
160 ISO |
160 ISO |
| RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
| AF Touch |
|
|
| AF Continuous |
|
|
| AF Single |
|
|
| AF Tracking |
|
|
| AF Selective |
|
|
| AF Center |
|
|
| AF Multi Area |
|
|
| AF Live View |
|
|
| AF Face Detection |
|
|
| AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
| AF Phase Detection |
|
|
| Number of Focus Points |
171 |
23 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Nikon 1 |
Micro Four Thirds |
| Number of Available Lenses |
13 |
107 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fixed type |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3" |
3" |
| Resolution |
1,037k dots |
460k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
None |
None |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/4000s |
1/4000s |
| Max Electronic Shutter |
1/16000s |
n/a |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
No |
Optical |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
5.00 m (ISO 100) |
6.30 m |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/160s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
60.0 fps |
3.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
1920 x 1080 |
1920 x 1080 |
| Video Formats |
MPEG-4, H.264 |
AVCHD, Motion JPEG |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
232g |
264g |
| Dimensions |
100 x 60 x 29mm |
108 x 67 x 32mm |
| Battery Life |
300 shots |
300 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
50 |
| DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
20.6 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
10.1 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
459 |
|
Report a correction |
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