Panasonic GH4 vs Panasonic GH3 Comparison

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Panasonic GH4

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

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Panasonic GH3

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

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Panasonic GH4 vs Panasonic GH3 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing the Panasonic GH4 with the camera that it replaced, the Panasonic GH3, list out what is new, its advantages over its predecessor and finally try to conclude if the GH4 is a worthy upgrade to the GH3. Panasonic GH4 was introduced to the market in February 2014 and Panasonic GH3 was launched in September 2012 so it will be interesting to see how much difference this 17 months between the two cameras make.

GH4 and GH3 are members of Panasonic's GH series of cameras. Below you can find the latest models from this series.

Panasonic GH Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Dimensions	Weight
Panasonic GH6	2022	25.2MP - Four Thirds	139 x 100 x 100mm	823g
Panasonic GH5 II	2021	20.0MP - Four Thirds	139 x 98 x 87mm	727g
Panasonic GH5S	2018	10.0MP - Four Thirds	139 x 98 x 87mm	660g
Panasonic GH5	2017	20.0MP - Four Thirds	139 x 98 x 87mm	725g
Panasonic GH4	2014	16.0MP - Four Thirds	133 x 93 x 84mm	560g

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic GH4 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-02-07

16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 25600

Micro Four Thirds Mount

3.00" Fully Articulated Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

12.0fps continuous shooting

4K (DCI) - 4096 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

560g. 133 x 93 x 84 mm

Weather-sealed Body

Replaced Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Compare

Panasonic GH3 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-09-17

16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 12800

Micro Four Thirds Mount

3.00" Fully Articulated Screen

1744k dot Electronic viewfinder

20.0fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

550g. 133 x 93 x 82 mm

Weather-sealed Body

Replaced Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Compare

Panasonic GH4 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 compare 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-GH4 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Max ISO	25.600 vs 12.800	100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	49 vs 23	26 more focus points
LCD Resolution	1.036k dots vs 614k dots	68% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Flash Coverage	17.0m vs 12.0m	5m longer range
Viewfinder Resolution	2359k dot vs 1744k dot	35% higher resolution
Color Depth	23.2 vs 22.7	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	12.8 vs 12.4	higher dynamic range
Max Video Resolution	4096 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range	±3 EV vs ±1 EV	Wide Bracketing range is useful for 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 GH4 PRICE

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4

Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 12.0fps	8 fps faster
Battery Life	540 shots vs 500 shots	40 more frames with a single charge
Weight	550 g vs 560 g	10 g lighter
Low Light ISO	812 vs 791	better High ISO performance

CHECK GH3 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
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
Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs Yes	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs Yes	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs Yes	Connect off-camera flash
Selfie/Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs Yes	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Dual-axis Electronic Level	Yes vs Yes	Level the camera easily in two axis

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization

New4

Panasonic GH4 vs Panasonic GH3: Physical Specs and Body Features Comparison

Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, we are going to illustrate the Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic GH4 has external dimensions of 133 x 93 x 84 mm (5.24 x 3.66 x 3.31″) and weighs 560 g (1.23 lb / 19.75 oz) (including batteries). Panasonic GH3 has external dimensions of 133 x 93 x 82 mm (5.24 x 3.66 x 3.23″) and weighs 550 g (1.21 lb / 19.40 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Panasonic GH4 and the Panasonic GH3. Panasonic GH4 has the same height and width with Panasonic GH3. On the other hand, with a thickness of 84mm, it is 2mm thicker.

Comparison image of the Panasonic GH4 and the Panasonic GH3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of the Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3.

Comparison image of the Panasonic GH4 and the Panasonic GH3 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3.

Top View Comparison image of the Panasonic GH4 and the the Panasonic GH3 Size

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic GH3 is 10g lighter than the Panasonic GH4 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you also have to take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 have the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount and Four Thirds sized sensors, lenses will not be a differentiator on total size of the system.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

GH4

GH3

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

GH4

GH3

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Both the GH4 and the GH3 have weather sealings in their bodies, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.

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 Selfies and video.

Panasonic GH4 vs Panasonic GH3: Sensor Comparison

Both Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 have Four Thirds sized 16.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.

Below you can see the GH4 and GH3 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 Cameras

Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 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, GH4 has scored 74, 3 points higher than GH3.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Panasonic GH4	74	23.2 bits	12.8 Evs	791 ISO
Panasonic GH3	71	22.7 bits	12.4 Evs	812 ISO

Panasonic GH4 vs Panasonic GH3 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

The number of available lenses is a big deciding factor when choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 have the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount and currently there are 121 native lenses available for these cameras.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 34 lenses with Image stabilization for Micro Four Thirds mount.

Lens Type	# of Panasonic GH4 Lenses	# of Panasonic GH3 Lenses
Standard Zoom	18	18
Standard Prime	15	15
Wideangle Zoom	6	6
Wideangle Prime	32	32
Telephoto Zoom	19	19
Telephoto Prime	11	11
SuperZoom	8	8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	5
Macro Prime	5	5
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	1
TOTAL	121	121

Here are some of the most popular Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses on Camera Decision:

Popular Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for the GH4 and the GH3

	Coverage	Weight	Focusing	Street Price
OM System 40-150mm F4.0 PRO	FourThirds	382gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Lumix G 25mm F1.7 ASPH	FourThirds	125gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Power OIS	FourThirds	210gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS	FourThirds	1120gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS	FourThirds	655gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS	FourThirds	320gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4.0-6.3 ASPH Power OIS	FourThirds	985gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ	FourThirds	91gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic GH3 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 GH4 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic GH3 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic GH4 for Street Photography

GOOD

Panasonic GH3 for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic GH4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Panasonic GH3 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
49 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
23 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 540 shots
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic GH4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic GH3 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
560g
Body Thickness 84mm
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
550g
Body Thickness 82mm
Read the details

Panasonic GH4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Panasonic GH3 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Panasonic GH4 vs Panasonic GH3: 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 GH4 and Panasonic GH3, 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 GH4 and Panasonic GH3 scores compare:

Panasonic GH4

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #72 out of 111 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #124 out of 1259 in all Cameras

Panasonic GH3

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #85 out of 111 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #162 out of 1259 in all Cameras

Panasonic GH4 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic GH3 in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Panasonic GH4.

Panasonic GH3 vs Panasonic GH4 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3
Brand	Panasonic	Panasonic
Announced	2014-02-07	2012-09-17
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Four Thirds	Four Thirds
Dimensions	17.3 x 13 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	224.90mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	16 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	4608 x 3456	4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	200 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	23
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses	121	121
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Fully Articulated
Size	3.00"	3.00"
Resolution	1,036k dots	614k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots	1,744k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.67x	0.67x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	17.00 m (at ISO 200)	12.00 m
Max Flash Sync	1/250s	1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	12.0 fps	20.0 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	4096 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD	MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	560g	550g
Dimensions	133 x 93 x 84mm	133 x 93 x 82mm
Battery Life	500 shots	540 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	74	71
DxO Color Depth	23.2	22.7
DxO Dynamic Range	12.8	12.4
DxO Low Light ISO	791	812
	Report a correction	Report a correction