Panasonic GH3 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine VII FHD processor. On the other hand, Nikon P340 has a
12.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the GH3 and P340 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic GH3 and Nikon P340 Cameras
As seen above, Panasonic GH3 has a 5.4x Larger sensor area than Nikon P340. 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 Panasonic GH3 and Nikon P340 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, GH3 has scored 71, 17 points higher than P340.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic GH3
71
22.7 bits
12.4 Evs
812 ISO
Nikon P340
54
20.7 bits
11.9 Evs
273 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
Panasonic GH3
or the
Nikon P340 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Four Thirds versus 1/1.7-inch),
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.
