Nikon 1 V3 has a
18.0MP 1' (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4A processor. On the other hand, Panasonic GX85 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Panasonic GX85's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the 1 V3 and GX85 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 V3 and Panasonic GX85 Cameras
As seen above, Panasonic GX85 has a 1.9x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 V3. 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
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Nikon 1 V3 and Panasonic GX85 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that GX85 has a better overall score of 71, 19 points higher compared to 1 V3's score of 52.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon 1 V3
52
20.8 bits
10.7 Evs
384 ISO
Panasonic GX85
71
22.9 bits
12.6 Evs
662 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
Nikon 1 V3
or the
Panasonic GX85 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(1' 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.
