Panasonic G9 vs Nikon D3200 Comparison

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Panasonic G9

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon D3200

24 MP | APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic G9 vs Nikon D3200 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic G9, which was introduced in November 2017 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Nikon D3200, which was introduced in July 2012 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 24.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, D3200 is 5 years older than G9. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2017-11-08

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100)

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3.00" Fully Articulated Screen

3680k dot Electronic viewfinder

20.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Nikon D3200 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-07-25

24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 12800)

Nikon F Mount

3.00" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

4.0fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

505g. 125 x 96 x 77 mm

Replaced Nikon D3100 Compare

Nikon D3200 was replaced by Nikon D3300. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D3300 vs Nikon D3200
Nikon D3300 vs Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Nikon D3200

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Optional	Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnif.	0.83x vs 0.53x	Larger Viewfinder
Max ISO	25.600 vs 6.400	300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	225 vs 11	214 more focus points
LCD Resolution	1.040k dots vs 921k dots	12% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage	100% vs 95%	More accurate viewfinder
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 4.0fps	16 fps faster
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Selfie & Vlogger LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (80.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
6K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 18MP photos from Video footage
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode	Yes vs No	Change focus point after taking a shot
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam

CHECK G9 PRICE

Reasons to choose Nikon D3200 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Sensor Resolution	24 MP vs 20 MP	19% more pixels
Battery Life	540 shots vs 400 shots	140 more frames with a single charge
Weight	505 g vs 658 g	153 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area	14.85µm² vs 11.16µm²	33% larger pixel area

CHECK D3200 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Nikon D3200

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	20 MP vs 24 MP	Bigger prints and more details
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs UHS-I	Read/Write in High Speeds

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Nikon D3200

Panasonic G9 vs Nikon D3200: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

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 Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic G9 has external dimensions of 137 x 97 x 92 mm (5.39 x 3.82 x 3.62″) and weighs 658 g (1.45 lb / 23.21 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D3200 has external dimensions of 125 x 96 x 77 mm (4.92 x 3.78 x 3.03″) and weighs 505 g (1.11 lb / 17.81 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200. Nikon D3200 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 12mm narrower, 1mm shorter and 15mm thinner than Panasonic G9.

Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200.

Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200.

Top View Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D3200 is significantly lighter (153g ) than the Panasonic G9 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

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. Since Nikon D3200 has an APS-C sized sensor and Panasonic G9 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Panasonic G9's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D3200 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D3200

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D3200

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that G9 has a big advantage over D3200 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Panasonic G9 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon D3200's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G9.

Panasonic G9 vs Nikon D3200: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Nikon D3200 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 processor.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic G9's sensor lacks 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 moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and D3200 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 Cameras

As seen above, Nikon D3200 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Panasonic G9. 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.

Panasonic G9 vs Nikon D3200 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

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 Nikon D3200 has an advantage over Panasonic G9 There are 316 lenses for Nikon D3200's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 119 lenses for Panasonic G9's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Panasonic G9 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. G9's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Nikon D3200 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 107 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Panasonic G9 Lenses	# of Nikon D3200 Lenses
Standard Zoom	17	33
Standard Prime	15	22
Wideangle Zoom	6	33
Wideangle Prime	32	50
Telephoto Zoom	19	54
Telephoto Prime	11	46
SuperZoom	8	30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	8
Macro Prime	4	26
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	11
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	1
TOTAL	119	316

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS	24 - 70mm	305gr	963gr	74mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF	25.5 - 82.5mm	755gr	1260gr	111mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS	70 - 200mm	357gr	1015gr	100mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM	75 - 225mm	1350gr	1855gr	198mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH	50mm	205gr	863gr	55mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon 35mm f1.8G	52.5mm	200gr	705gr	53mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH	16 - 36mm	315gr	973gr	88mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED	15 - 36mm	460gr	965gr	87mm	Amazon B&H Photo

24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS	24 - 120mm	320gr	978gr	86mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR	24 - 120mm	480gr	985gr	86mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3	200 - 800mm	985gr	1643gr	172mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR	80 - 400mm	1570gr	2075gr	203mm	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 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.

Panasonic G9 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3200 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D3200 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3200 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 540 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3200 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) sensor
Large Body
505g
Body Thickness 77mm
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3200 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic G9 vs Nikon D3200: OUR DECISION

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 Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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 Panasonic G9 and Nikon D3200 scores compare:

Panasonic G9

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #50 out of 102 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #70 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Nikon D3200

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #30 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #247 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D3200 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon D3200 vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DC-G9	Nikon D3200
Brand	Panasonic	Nikon
Announced	2017-11-08	2012-07-25
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Compact SLR
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Four Thirds	APS-C
Dimensions	17.3 x 13 mm	23.2 x 15.4 mm
Area	224.90mm²	357.28mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	24 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	6016 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	12800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	100 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	225	11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses	119	316
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Fixed type
Size	3.00"	3.00"
Resolution	1,040k dots	921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Resolution	3,680k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.83x	0.53x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/32000s	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	20.0 fps	4.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	658g	505g
Dimensions	137 x 97 x 92mm	125 x 96 x 77mm
Battery Life	400 shots	540 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	81
DxO Color Depth	not tested	24.1
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	13.2
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	1131
	Report a correction	Report a correction