Panasonic ZS50 has a
12.0MP (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Panasonic G3 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine FHD processor.
Below you can see the ZS50 and G3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS50 and Panasonic G3 Cameras
As seen above, Panasonic G3 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS50. 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
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Panasonic ZS50 and Panasonic G3 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that G3 has a better overall score of 56, 12 points higher compared to ZS50's score of 44.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Panasonic ZS50
44
20.0 bits
11.2 Evs
138 ISO
Panasonic G3
56
21.0 bits
10.6 Evs
667 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 ZS50
or the
Panasonic G3 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
( 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.
