Canon EOS Rebel SL1 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 was introduced in July 2013 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 was introduced in September 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS Rebel SL1 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 over Canon EOS Rebel SL1.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 have 3.0" screens with 1,040k dot and 614k dot resolutions respectively. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a Fixed screen Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Both models feature touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinderPanasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 1,744k dot resolution. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has 95% coverage with 0.87x (0.55x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 has 100% coverage with 1.34x (0.67x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 features a 18.0 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.3 x 14.9 mm and a total area of 332.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 features a 16.05 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 12,800.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 is equipped with DIGIC 5 processor and can take pictures up to 5184 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 5184 x 2912, 4608 x 3456,3456 x 3456, 3456 x 2304, 3456 x 1944, 3072 x 2304, 2592 x 1728, 2592 x 1456, 2304 x 1728, 2304 x 2304, 1920 x 1280, 1920 x 1080, 1728 x 1728, 1696 x 1280, 1280 x 1280, 720 x 480, 720 x 400, 640 x 480, 480 x 480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 is equipped with Venus Engine VII FHD processor and can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4608x3072, 3264x2448, 2336x1752, 4608x3072, 3264x2176, 2336x1560, 4608x2592, 3264x1840, 1920x1080, 3456x3456, 2448x2448, 1744x1744, 1712x1712 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Canon EOS Rebel SL1 its crop factor is equal to 1.6x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS Rebel SL1 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 nothing can be done. On Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS Rebel SL1 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a Mini HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 has a Mini Type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 comes with LP-E12 battery pack with battery life of 380 shots.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL1, and up to 1/4000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 can shoot continuously up to 20.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 9 (1 cross-type) focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 has 23 focusing points. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has detection range from -0.5 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 ranges from 0 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 9.40 m on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and 12.00 m on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and 1/160 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3.

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 body has dimensions of 117 x 91 x 69 mm (4.61 x 3.58 x 2.72") and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 body has dimensions of 133 x 93 x 82 mm (5.24 x 3.66 x 3.23"). Canon EOS Rebel SL1 weighs 407 g (0.90 lb / 14.36 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 weighs 550 g (1.21 lb / 19.40 oz).

Canon EOS Rebel SL1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3

117 mm

91 mm

133 mm

93 mm

91 mm

93 mm

69 mm

82 mm