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Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic GH1 Comparison

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Camera to replace
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Panasonic FZ300

12 MP | 1/2.3 CMOS Sensor

Panasonic FZ300
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Panasonic GH1

12 MP | Four Thirds (18.89 x 14.48 mm) CMOS Sensor

Panasonic GH1
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Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic GH1 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Panasonic cameras cameras with different body types: Panasonic FZ300, which was introduced in July 2015 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3 sensor whereas Panasonic GH1, which was introduced in July 2009 is a Advanced Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, GH1 is 6 years older than FZ300. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic FZ300 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2015-07-16
  • 12MP - 1/2.3 CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 25-600 mm F2.8 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 12.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 691g. 132 x 92 x 117 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Compare

Panasonic GH1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-07-10
  • 12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Electronic viewfinder
  • 3.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 385g. 124 x 90 x 45 mm

Panasonic GH1 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max ISO
6.400 vs 1.600 300% higher Max ISO
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 460k dots 126% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/16000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
12.0fps vs 3.0fps 9 fps faster
Battery Life
380 shots vs 320 shots 60 more frames with a single charge
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
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
4K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
Post Focus Mode
Yes vs No Change focus point after taking a shot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
CHECK FZ300 PRICE


Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300
Weight
385 g vs 691 g 306 g lighter
Flash Coverage
10.5m vs 8.8m 1.7m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
22.79µm2 vs 2.34µm2 873% larger pixel area
CHECK GH1 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Adjustable LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fully Articulated Flexible shooting positions
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Selfie/Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs Yes Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic GH1: 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 FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic FZ300 has external dimensions of 132 x 92 x 117 mm (5.2 x 3.62 x 4.61″) and weighs 691 g (including batteries). Panasonic GH1 has external dimensions of 124 x 90 x 45 mm (4.88 x 3.54 x 1.77″) and weighs 385 g (0.85 lb / 13.58 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1. Panasonic GH1 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 8mm narrower, 2mm shorter and 72mm thinner than Panasonic FZ300. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic FZ300 has a built-in lens but Panasonic GH1 doesn't. Once you put a lens on GH1, its thickness will increase significantly.

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic GH1 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1.
Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic GH1 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic GH1 is significantly lighter (306g ) than the Panasonic FZ300 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on GH1, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that FZ300 has a big advantage over GH1 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

Both cameras feature Fully Articulating screens where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. Fully articulating screens are also useful for taking Selfie shots and video.
Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic GH1: Sensor Comparison

Both Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Panasonic FZ300's sensor is 1/2.3 (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Panasonic GH1's sensor is Four Thirds (18.89 x 14.48 mm ).

Since Panasonic GH1's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Panasonic FZ300.

Below you can see the FZ300 and GH1 sensor size comparison.

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic GH1 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 Cameras


As seen above, Panasonic GH1 has a 9.7x Larger sensor area than Panasonic FZ300. 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.

What types of Photography are Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 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 FZ300 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic GH1 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3 sensor
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (18.89 x 14.48 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic FZ300 for Street Photography

GOOD

Panasonic GH1 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3 sensor
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (18.89 x 14.48 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic FZ300 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Panasonic GH1 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/16000s
49 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
600 mm Tele Lens
Fast Lens at Tele: f2.80
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Panasonic FZ300 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Panasonic GH1 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Environmental Sealings
24.0X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3 sensor
691g
Body Thickness 117mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (18.89 x 14.48 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
385g
Body Thickness 45mm
Read the details

Panasonic FZ300 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Panasonic GH1 for Landscape Photography

POOR
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Environmental Sealings
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3 sensor
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (18.89 x 14.48 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic FZ300 vs Panasonic GH1: 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 FZ300 and Panasonic GH1, 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 FZ300 and Panasonic GH1 scores compare:

Panasonic FZ300
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #4 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #156 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Panasonic GH1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #103 out of 109 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #391 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Panasonic FZ300 has a higher Overall Score than the Panasonic GH1 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Panasonic FZ300
Panasonic FZ300
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Panasonic GH1
Panasonic GH1
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Panasonic GH1 vs Panasonic FZ300 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Brand Panasonic Panasonic
Announced 2015-07-16 2009-07-10
Body Type SLR-like (bridge) SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3 Four Thirds
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 18.89 x 14.48 mm
Area 28.07mm2 273.53mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 1,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 3200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 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 49 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens Focal Range 25-600 mm (24x) no lens
Max Aperture F2.8 no lens
Macro Focus Range 1cm no lens
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,040k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 1,440k dots n/a
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/16000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Optical Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 8.80 m (at Auto ISO) 10.50 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 12.0 fps 3.0 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 AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 691g 385g
Dimensions 132 x 92 x 117mm 124 x 90 x 45mm
Battery Life 380 shots 320 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 64
DxO Color Depth not tested 21.6
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.6
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 772
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