Nikon D60 has a
10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Panasonic G3 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine FHD processor.
Panasonic G3's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D60'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 D60 and G3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D60 and Panasonic G3 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D60 has a 1.7x Larger sensor area than Panasonic G3. 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 Nikon D60 and Panasonic G3 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, D60 has scored 65, 9 points higher than G3.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D60
65
22.5 bits
11.4 Evs
562 ISO
Panasonic G3
56
21.0 bits
10.6 Evs
667 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 D60
or the
Panasonic G3 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(APS-C 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.
