Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 vs Canon PowerShot G3 X

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 and the Canon PowerShot G3 X, 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.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 was introduced in January 2017 and Canon PowerShot G3 X was introduced in June 2015. 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 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 over Canon PowerShot G3 X.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot G3 X over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850.

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

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 has a 3.0" screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Canon PowerShot G3 X has a 3.20" screen with 1,620k dot resolution. Both have Tilting screens. Tilting screen makes cameras very useful for photography purposes but not so 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.

Camera does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional electronic viewfinder can be attached on Canon PowerShot G3 X.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 features a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 224.9 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 25,600 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Canon PowerShot G3 X features a 20.1 megapixel 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 12,800 and expands to 125 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

Canon PowerShot G3 X has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 is equipped with Venus Engine processor and can take pictures up to 4592 x 3448 resolution. Canon PowerShot G3 X is equipped with DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3:2 (4320 x 2880, 2304 x 1536, 720 x 480), 16:9 (5472 x 3080, 4320 x 2432, 1920 x 1080, 720 x 408), 4:3 (4864 x 3648, 3840 x 2880, 2048 x 1536, 640 x 480), 1:1 (3648 x 3648, 2880 x 2880, 1536 x 1536, 480 x 480) with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon PowerShot G3 X nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have 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.

NFC on Canon PowerShot G3 X

Canon PowerShot G3 X has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 has a Micro HDMI and Canon PowerShot G3 X has an HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 comes with DMW-BLH7 battery pack with battery life of 210 shots and Canon PowerShot G3 X comes with NB-10L battery pack with battery life of 300 shots.

External Storage Slots

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Canon PowerShot G3 X has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I compatible) card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/500 sec with mechanical shutter on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850, and up to 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot G3 X. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps. Canon PowerShot G3 X can shoot continuously up to 5.9 fps.

Focusing

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 has 49 focusing points and Canon PowerShot G3 X has 31 focusing points. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 has detection range from -4 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 ranges from 0 to +18 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 and ±3 range on Canon PowerShot G3 X. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon PowerShot G3 X.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 4.00 m at ISO 100 on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 and 6.80 m at Auto ISO on Canon PowerShot G3 X. Canon PowerShot G3 X also accepts external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/50 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 body has dimensions of 107 x 65 x 33 mm (4.21 x 2.56 x 1.3") and Canon PowerShot G3 X body has dimensions of 123 x 77 x 105 mm (4.84 x 3.03 x 4.13"). Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850 weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz) and Canon PowerShot G3 X weighs 733 g (1.62 lb / 25.86 oz).

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850

Canon PowerShot G3 X

107 mm

65 mm

123 mm

77 mm

65 mm

77 mm

33 mm

105 mm