Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Detailed Comparison

Today we’re going to be comparing two entry-level mirrorless cameras- Sony a6000 Vs GH3. While these two cameras were regarded as semi-pro when they were first released, the recent technology and innovation when it comes to cameras, have relegated them to entry-level cameras.

Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

The Sony a6000 is made by Sony, while the GH3 is made by Panasonic. Apart from both of these being entry-level cameras, there are few similarities between them. In this article, we would be looking at those similarities, as well as, all the differences between these two cameras- Sony a6000 Vs GH3.

If the article seems long and scary, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check the comparison table below for key points to note if you need to make a quick decision. However, if you do have the time, I would suggest you read through the whole article because we made this as detailed as possible, just for you.

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Comparison Overview

The first thing we’re going to talk about are the overall features of these two products. Looking at the overall features, both of these cameras are very different but almost equal. What do we mean? Sony and Panasonic targeted different demographics when they were making these two cameras.

So, while overall both of these cameras can be said to have great features based on their end users, they do not have the same features. Or at least they have a lot of different features.

The Sony a6000 is mainly for people who are just starting out, but are looking to make photography a full-time thing. In other words, entry-level photographers. That’s why you see features like “sensor size and resolution and ISO at the high-end of the spec sheet.

The Panasonic GH3, on the other hand, is for people who might not want to make photography a professional thing, but just love the camera or need the camera to do other things. We’re talking about people like travelers, tourists, vloggers, and people who just want to get the camera for fun.

So, depending on what group you fall under, both of these cameras are great options. The one unifying factor about these two cameras, though, is their price. Looking at the current market today where cameras are getting really expensive, it’s nice to see cameras that are this affordable and don’t suck.

With that said, it is undoubtable that both of these cameras provide great value for money. In other words, they have a great cost to performance ratio. We must point out, though, that the Sony a6000 is significantly more affordable than the Panasonic GH3. Which means that the Sony a6000 gets a higher cost to performance ratio than the Panasonic GH3.

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Brand Comparison

Sony is a Japanese Multinational company that is involved in the production of a wide variety of products that cut across a wide variety of sectors. They make products ranging from video games and entertainment, to consumer appliances, and even financial services.

Panasonic is also a Japanese Multinational company. However, unlike its compatriots, Panasonic is only involved in the production of electronics.

Both of these companies have a rich history when it comes to mirrorless cameras. Panasonic made their first mirrorless camera in 2008. Although that was not the first mirrorless camera ever made, it was the one that caught people’s attention.

However, it was not until 2012 when Sony began mass producing these mirrorless cameras that they started gaining some form of popularity. One thing that Sony hasn’t been able to get right for a long time is battery life.

Sony cameras usually have a short battery span and that’s something you’ll have to take into consideration. Panasonic, on the other hand, do not have a load of lens and accessory options like Sony has. So, if you’re going to be needing a lot of lenses for different shooting techniques, you might want to consider that.

Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Comparison Table

	Sony a6000	Panasonic GH3
Announcement Date	23rd April 2014	17th September 2012
Maximum Sensor Resolution	24 Megapixels	16 Megapixels
Sensor Type	APS-C	Four Thirds
ISO	100 – 25600	200 – 12800
Continuous Shooting Rate	11 frames per second	20 frames per second
Weight	344g	550g
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Battery Life	360 shots	540 shots
Microphone Port	No	Yes
Headphone Port	No	Yes
Environmental Sealing	No	Yes
Time-lapse Recording	With additional app	Yes
Selfie Friendly LCD	No	Yes
NFC Connection	Yes	No
UHS Memory Card Support	Yes	No
	Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – What Scenario Is What Camera Best For?

Sony a6000	Panasonic GH3
Compared to the Panasonic GH3, this camera is far better at taking still photos. This is as a result of a number of different features.   The most notable of these features is the sensor. The Sony a6000 not only has a bigger sensor than the GH3, it also has a higher sensor resolution.	While the Sony a6000 is better at taking still photos, the Panasonic GH3 is better at recording videos.   Well, this is because, the GH3 comes with a headphone port and a microphone port. If you’ve recorded videos before, you’ll know that the most important part of a video is the audio.
A bigger sensor area means that your camera is able to capture in more light. This in turn means that this camera will be better at capturing low-light photos.   The width of the frame is not a big deal as that can be easily fixed with an external lens and the right focal length.	That means, you always have to get the audio right. Unfortunately, the built-in microphones that come with the Sony a6000 are most times, simply not good enough.   Another reason is the continuous shooting rate. Although both of these cameras come with great continuous shooting rates, that of the GH3 is nothing short of exceptional.
Apart from still photos and low-light photography, the Sony a6000 is also great when it comes to portability.   It weighs just 344g. Even for a mirrorless camera, that’s light.	With a continuous shooting rate of 20 frames per second, this camera can record live action shots, sports, and things like that.   You’ll also be able to get great slow-mo effects when you’re editing videos taken by this camera.
If you’re a vlogger, a travel photographer, or you move around a lot with your camera and prefer a smaller kit, then the Sony a6000 is the camera for you.	The final reason why this is regarded as a beast when it comes to video is its selfie friendly LCD. This tilts all the way and lets you use it to frame yourself if you’re recording a video of yourself.

Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Features Common To Both Cameras

Although these two cameras are very different, they do share some basic similarities. In this section of this Sony a6000 Vs GH3 comparison article, we’re going to discussing those features that both of these cameras come with.

Because they’re very different, there might be some slight differences, even in the similar features. Where that appears, we’ll do well to point it out. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

They’re Both Mirrorless Cameras

This is the biggest similarity between these two cameras- Sony a6000 Vs GH3, the fact that both of them are entry-level mirrorless cameras.

Mirrorless cameras have been gaining popularity really fast in recent times. A lot of photographers are opting for mirrorless cameras because they produce similar, sometimes greater, quality than DSLRs, in a smaller form factor.

Unsurprisingly, the two companies that made the products we’re talking about today- Sony and Panasonic, were both heavily involved in making mirrorless cameras as popular as they are now. In 2008, Panasonic released its first mirrorless camera and that paved the way for most other companies to adopt the initiative.

However, they didn’t gain general popularity and public acceptance until Sony started making its own mirrorless cameras, together with lens and other accessories to go with it. Ever since then, it’s been a daily struggle between mirrorless cameras and DSLRs.

Apart from being smaller, people also love mirrorless cameras for some other reasons, which we would highlight below:

Fast Shooting Speed

Mirrorless cameras have faster shutter speeds and shooting speeds than DSLRs. This is because, before an image is capture on a DSLR, the mirror inside first has to flip so light can get to the imaging sensor.

With mirrorless cameras, light is also hitting the electronic sensor, so no movement has to occur before the image is taken. As you can see in the continuous shooting speed of these two cameras- Sony a6000 Vs GH3 (11 frames per second, 20 frames per second).

To find a DSLR that can shoot those many frames per second, you’ll need to spend a lot of money to get the flagship cameras.  

Electronic Viewfinder

Another reason why so many people like mirrorless cameras is because of their electronic viewfinder. Both of these cameras come with electronic viewfinders. An electronic viewfinder works very differently from the way an optical viewfinder (found on DSLRs) work.

With optical viewfinders, light is passed from the camera’s lens. This light then hits a mirror and is sent upwards to meet a pentaprism. When the light hits this pentaprism, it’s straightened horizontally, after which it’s sent to the optical viewfinder.

So, basically, with an optical viewfinder, what you see is raw light, exactly how your camera is seeing it. That means that any changes you make to things like focus, exposure, and so on, can only be seen after you’ve taken the shot and it has been processed by the camera.

On the other hand, with electronic viewfinders, light enters through the camera’s lens and hits an electronic sensor. This electronic sensor is responsible for converting this light to a digital image. It is this digital image that is now shown to the photographer through the viewfinder.

So, basically, with an electronic viewfinder, what you see is a processed image. That means that when you make tweaks to things like focus and exposure, you get a live preview of exactly how the image is going to end up. This is because, the image you’re seeing through the electronic viewfinder is already a processed one.

We’re sure from this explanation you already see the reason why a lot of people prefer electronic viewfinders. It’s a lot easier to use and more friendly to beginners and amateurs.

There’s only one reason why people don’t like electronic viewfinders, though, and that’s because they consume a lot battery. Asides that, they’re lovely.

Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

Wireless Connection

Both of these cameras come with wireless connection. Honestly, it feels like in this present time, that’s more of a necessity than an option. Without wireless connection, your camera is cut off from the internet.

You not only won’t be able to transfer files from one device to another wirelessly, you also would not be able to upload your files on to the internet. Uploading your files to the internet carries a lot of benefits:

1. You can upload your files to the internet for safe keeping. That way, if your memory card ever gets corrupted, you always have a backup.
2. You can reach your audience faster. If you do a lot of Instagram or you vlog on Youtube, there are sometimes when you would want to spontaneously upload to your viewers. The wireless connection on these cameras allows you to do that.

Articulating Screen

Both of these cameras come with an articulating screen. Articulating screens are great when you want to record videos, or when you want to shoot certain pictures from certain awkward angles. This is because, they turn and tilt to the different angles you would need to get the right frame for your shots.

Just like we mentioned earlier, both of these cameras are very different, even in some similar features. So, we must mention that although these two are regarded as “articulating screens” they’re not exactly the same.

While the Sony a6000 tilts enough to get certain angles, it can’t turn all the way to face you as a selfie screen. The articulating screen on the GH3, though, has the ability to do that. It’s called a “selfie-friendly screen”.

So, you might want to put that into consideration if you take a lot of selfies, or record yourself a lot. Say, you vlog, or make YouTube videos, or anything like that.

Built-in Flash And External Flash Shoe

To add to the portability of these devices, the manufacturers added a built-in flash. With a built-in flash, you won’t need to carry an external flash with you wherever you go. This will provide you with enough lighting most times, without needing to carry extra weight.

If the built-in flash that these cameras come with do not provide you with enough lighting that you need, they both come with an external flash shoe. An external flash shoe enables you connect your camera to an on-camera flash.

Having these two extra lighting options is really good, and we must commend the manufacturers of these two cameras- Sony a6000 Vs GH3.

RAW Support

RAW is an image saving format, just like JPEG, or PNG. The benefit of RAW is in its name, it saves images in their RAW format. This means that you get the original, unprocessed version of your image. This will leave you with all the editing options during post production.

Cameras that do not allow you save RAW photos process their photos, edit them, compress them, and then convert them to JPEG before saving. These two cameras will also do the same unless you put it in the settings that you want it RAW.

The problem with JPEG images is that they’re already edited and compressed by the camera. This means that while the editing the camera has done might not be what you want, all that extra information is lost during compression.

Face Detection Focus

A very simple feature like this is sometimes underrated. If you take a lot of portrait photos, don’t underrate this feature. With this feature, your camera automatically focuses on any face that’s in the frame of the camera. This saves you a lot of time as you don’t have to manually start placing your focus.

Of course, this is editable manually if the face is not what you want to be focused on.

AE Bracketing

An Auto Exposure bracket is an exposure bracket that is automatically created by the camera. This done by simply presetting the different exposure levels you want for the different images and clicking the shutter button.

To manually create an exposure bracket, you would need to take one picture of a scene, change the exposure levels, and then take another picture, as many times as you want. Now, that’s quite tasking. Also, the scenes won’t be exactly the same and would vary slightly.

With an auto exposure bracket, all the pictures are exactly the same, save for the exposure. This also gives room for HDR images to be created. HDR images are formed by combining all the different images in the auto exposure bracket into one image which is perfectly exposed.

This cannot be achieved with a normal exposure bracket as all the pictures would vary slightly, and so it’ll be difficult to join all of them together.

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Features Unique To Each Camera

Alright! We’ve come to the part that we’re sure you’ve been waiting for. In this section of this Sony a6000 Vs GH3 article, we would be looking at all the features that either of these cameras come with that the other does not.

Features Unique To The Sony a6000

1. NFC Connection

Although both of these cameras- Sony a6000 Vs GH3, come with wireless connection, only this camera, the Sony a6000, comes with NFC connection. NFC is an acronym which stands for “Near Field Communication”.

With this type of wireless connection, your computer pairs with other compatible devices once they’re brought very close to each other. Once the pairing happens, these devices automatically connect to each other once they come in contact with each other again.

This helps you to seamlessly connect to your smartphone. Connecting to your smartphone allows you to use it as a remote control for your camera, which is another feature you cannot get with the Panasonic GH3.

2. UHS Memory Card Support

UHS memory cards refer to memory cards that read and transfer files in Ultra High Speeds. When in a non-supported device, these memory cards will read and transfer files in normal speeds.

However, once put in a device that supports them, such as this camera, they work as they ought to. With this, you can transfer large chunks of files in no time. Move them from this device to another and vice versa, without wasting any time.

Are you sold on this camera and you would like to take a hands-on look at the camera, alongside some preview pictures? Or perhaps you’re not sold on it and need a little convincing? Check out the video below:

Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

Features Unique To The Panasonic GH3

1. Touchscreen

The LCD screen that comes with this camera has a touchscreen function. With a touchscreen function, it’s much easier to navigate through the camera’s settings and menus. Furthermore, it allows you to quickly focus on any part of the frame, simply by tapping on it.

2. Microphone Port

This camera comes with a microphone port. When you’re recording video, getting great audio alongside, is super important. This is why you need a microphone port. With a microphone port, you can connect your camera to an external microphone.

This external microphone then allows you to get great audio, straight into your camera.

3. Headphone Port

Closely tied to the microphone port is the headphone port. With a headphone port, you can connect your headphone to your camera.

While the external microphone is used to capture great audio, the headphone is used to monitor said audio. Without a headphone port, you won’t be able to hear how your audio sounds until you’re done recording.

4. Environmental Sealing

One really great feature that the GH3 comes with that the Sony a6000 doesn’t come with it “weather sealing” otherwise known as “environmental sealing”. This feature helps protect your camera from potential damage when you’re using it in tough weather conditions.

With this sealing, the Panasonic GH3 is protected from both moisture and dust. This generally protects this camera from rainfall and wind. If the weather gets too serious, then it’s unsafe for both you and the camera, and you need to find shelter.

5. Time-lapse Recording

A time-lapse is a photography technique that involves taken a lot of shots of the same scene in equal intervals, over a long period of time. The aim is to show the changes that occur in that particular scene over time.

It’s used to show passage of time, growth, or simply summarize an action. As you can already tell, time-lapses are fun and creative. However, they are almost impossible to create manually.

Imagine sitting in one place taking pictures every five minutes… That might work for maybe two hours, but what about 24 hours? Exactly. This is why most cameras these days come with a time-lapse feature.

This allows you to set the number of pictures you want to take and the intervals in which you want to take them. Once that’s set, you leave the camera to do the rest.

This camera, the Panasonic GH3, comes with this feature, straight out of the box. With the Sony a6000, on the other hand, you’ll have to download an additional app to get the same functionalities. While that is workable, we all know that almost everything works better when it’s out of the box.

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Unique Pros

Sony a6000

Higher Maximum Sensor Resolution

The Sony a6000 comes with a maximum sensor resolution of 24 megapixels. This is 8 more than what is available with the Panasonic GH3. Yes, maximum sensor resolution does not always determine what camera is better than the other.

However, it does go a long way in deciding how detailed your images. The higher the sensor resolution, the more pixels are on the image. With more pixels, you can zoom in closer, crop photos, or print really large copies, without the image getting pixelated.

For most professional photographers, at least 20 megapixels will do. Well, this camera has 24 megapixels, so, it definitely does well in that department.

High Maximum ISO (25,600)

This camera comes with a ISO of 100 – 25,600. This type of ISO range provides with multiple options in different lighting scenarios.

If you’re going to be taking a lot of low-light shots, you definitely want a camera with a wide ISO range. That way, the camera will be able to handle the different lighting conditions appropriately. One thing you would have to take not of, though, is the noise levels on the images.

When you increase the ISO of your camera, the noise levels on the image tends to increase as well. This noise is shown even more visibly when the camera has a high sensor resolution. Take that into consideration.

• This camera comes with 156 more focus points than the Panasonic GH3. This means that you get faster and better autofocus with this camera.
• At 922k dots, the LCD screen resolution is a lot better than that of the GH3. This will make it easier to use under bright lights.
• This camera is super lightweight at just 344g.
• It has a slightly wider dynamic range than the Panasonic GH3.
• The NFC connection on this camera allows it to connect with other compatible devices easily. It also allows you to use your smartphone as a remote control.
• This camera supports the use of UHS memory cards. This means that with a UHS memory card, you can transfer files at Ultra High Speeds.

Panasonic GH3

• With a touchscreen LCD screen, it’s easy to navigate through this camera’s settings and menus easily. It’s also great for “tap to focus”.
• With a continuous shooting rate of 20 frames per second, you can get really awesome action shots.
• The battery life of this camera is fairly good, especially for a mirrorless camera.
• A microphone port and a headphone port ensure that you get the best audio alongside your videos.
• Environmental sealing with this camera means that you can take it out with you comfortably, and not worry too much about moisture and dust.
• Recording a time-lapse has been made easy. No additional apps needed. You can do it right out of the box.
• It has a flash coverage of 12.0m, which is impressive.
• It has a selfie friendly LCD screen.

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Unique Cons

Sony a6000

• It doesn’t have a touchscreen.
• The battery life of the camera is poor at just 360 shots per full charge.
• No microphone or headphone port. This means you have to rely on the built-in microphones that are not great.
• No moisture or dust protection.
• To record a time-lapse with this camera, you have to install an additional application.
• The screen, though an articulating screen, isn’t selfie friendly.

Panasonic GH3

• It has a maximum sensor resolution of just 16 megapixels.
• It comes with only 23 focus points.
• At 550g, this is a little weighty for a mirrorless camera.
• It doesn’t have NFC connection.
• It doesn’t support the use of UHS memory cards. Although you can still use this type of memory cards, they’ll work like normal ones.

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Common Pros

	Sony a6000	Panasonic GH3
Wireless Connection	With the wireless connection that both of these cameras come with, you’re able to easily transfer files from your camera to other devices.   Also, you can upload files directly from your camera to the internet.	Same as the Sony a6000.
Articulating Screen	An articulating screen enables you frame your photos properly when you’re shooting from certain angles where it’s difficult to use your viewfinder.	Same as the Sony a6000.
Built-in Flash	With a built-in flash, you no longer have to carry an on-camera flash with you everywhere you go.   That adds to the portability of these devices and makes them better in low-light.	Same as the Sony a6000.
External Flash Shoe	Incase the built-in flash does not produce enough light, you have the option of adding an on-camera flash to your camera.   You’ll connect it to this external flash shoe.	Same as the Sony a6000.
Electronic Viewfinder	An electronic viewfinder is great for framing your photos.   With this type of viewfinder, you can see how the changes you make to your photos affect the picture before the picture is taken.	Same as the Sony a6000.
RAW Support	This feature allows your camera save your pictures in RAW format.   RAW images are very large. However, that’s because they contain all the original image on the photos.   JPEG images, on the other hand, are smaller because they’re compressed and do not contain as much information.
Face Detection Focus	With this, your camera automatically focuses on any face that’s in the frame of the camera.   It helps make things quicker if you take a lot of portrait shots.	Same as the Sony a6000.
Fast Continuous Shooting Speeds	Both of these cameras have great continuous shooting speeds.   This camera shoots 11 frames per second.	This camera shoots 20 frames per second.
AE Bracketing	With auto exposure bracketing, you can create exposure brackets a lot faster.   Furthermore, it allows you create HDR photos, which are perfectly exposed.	Same as the Sony a6000.

Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – Common Cons

	Sony a6000	Panasonic GH3
No Built-in Image Stabilization	Neither of these cameras provide in camera stabilization. This would have greatly reduced the shakiness and blurriness cause as a result of camera shakes.   Now to record a video with this, you absolutely need a tripod or gimbal to keep it still. Else, you’ll end up with a blurry or shaky video.	Same as the Sony a6000.
No Bluetooth	There are a lot of devices that come with Bluetooth on them.   So, it would have been a lot easier to connect this camera to those devices if they came with built-in Bluetooth.	Same as the Sony a6000.
No GPS	Without GPS, you cannot geotag your photos, neither can you track your camera’s location in case it gets lost.	Same as the Sony a6000.
Only one card slot available	Both of these cameras provide only one memory card slot.   This limits storage flexibility as well as, storage space.	Same as the Sony a6000.
No Slow-motion capture	Neither of these cameras can capture in-camera slow-motion videos.	Same as the Sony a6000.

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – General Feeling Amongst Users

Sony a6000	Panasonic GH3
Most people who bought this camera were entry-level photographers. The camera worked well for them.   Apart from the fact that it’s actually pretty affordable, the Sony a6000 is very easy to use, which is why many beginners like it.	Panasonic has always been loved because of their affordability, and this camera is no different. It’s a very affordable entry-level camera and it just screams “value for money”.
Another reason why people like it is because it’s so lightweight. People who are not into professional photography, but want something to take pictures with for fun will enjoy this camera.   Because of it’s portability, it’s a great traveling camera, as well as a good vlogging camera.	Apart from its affordability, another reason why people loved this camera was because it was so easy to use.   From its wireless connection, to its touchscreen feature, selfie friendly LCD screen, this camera had features that welcomed you.
We’ve seen some professional photographers who say that this camera is good enough to start a career with.   They claim that with this camera and great skill, you can come out with some of the most amazing photos.	The target demography for this camera was clearly entry-level professionals and people who just do this for fun.   However, they did not fail to add professional touches like the time-lapse feature, which a lot of people used and loved.
People also loved the fact that this camera comes with a 24-megapixel sensor. Just like we mentioned earlier, many professionals see 20 as the benchmark, and this camera surpasses that benchmark.	At 540 shots, the battery of this camera is a lot better than many other mirrorless cameras out there and a lot of people pointed that out.   Although this is still not comparable to a DSLR in terms of battery, it does a fairly good job.
Finally, people didn’t forget the mention the low-light capabilities of this camera. This camera does well in low-light because of its wide ISO range.	Finally, the microphone and the headphone port on this camera allowed people a lot of freedom for recording audio with their videos.

Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!

Sony a6000 Vs GH3 – What Do We Think?

Both of these cameras are well matched. They both have their strengths, weaknesses, and things they do better than the other. Choosing between these two cameras- Sony a6000 Vs GH3, will often come down to personal preference and what you want to use the camera for.

And in that regard, we do not think that either of these cameras is expressly better than the other. We feel that it is very relative. If you’re looking for something that’s more fun, exciting, chill, then go for the Panasonic GH3.

It has really cool features like its touchscreen LCD, time-lapse recording, selfie friendly LCD, and so on. That is not to say that it doesn’t have serious features. It can shoot 20 frames per second, good audio recording with microphone and headphone, good battery life, and so on.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to start professional photography career, the Sony a6000 is a better choice. Firstly, because it has a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor. While this might not be all in all, it plays in critical role in getting you well-detailed photos.

Apart from the sensor, the Sony a6000 comes with a good ISO range, which makes it great for low-light photography. It also has a better LCD resolution for better viewing and framing, wider dynamic range, better color depth, and a higher AE bracketing range.

Furthermore, getting a Sony camera, you’ll be able to get all of Sony’s lenses and accessories, knowing that they’ll work best with your camera. Plus, you can easily upgrade to much better Sony cameras as you get better. It’ll be easier since you’ll already be in the ecosystem.

So, what camera do you think is right for you?

Sony a6000	Panasonic GH3
Get the Sony a6000 now!	Get the Panasonic GH3 now!