Nikon D600 has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 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 D600's sensor provides 12MP 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 D600 and GF3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D600 and Panasonic GF3 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D600 has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GF3. 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 D600 and Panasonic GF3 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, D600 has scored 94, 44 points higher than GF3.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D600
94
25.1 bits
14.2 Evs
2980 ISO
Panasonic GF3
50
20.6 bits
10.1 Evs
459 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 D600
or the
Panasonic GF3 ,
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.
