Panasonic G1 sensor v. D300 & D3

[alphaomega]

Viewed quickly an article in the UK Amateur Photographer comparing the 4/3 sensor in the Panasonic G1 with Nikon's D300 & D3 for resolution. To my surprise the G1 had better resolution per their charts at lower ISOs than both the APS-C D300 and FF D3 and apparently comparable noise. At higher ISOs clearly the D3 in particular outshined the G1 in noise performance but apparently not in resolution. It would seem that a larger photosite on its own does not guarantee better resolution and noise performance as long as enought light is available at the photosite so as not to require a lot of signal amplification. I am no expert on this but if true in general it puts a different perspective on the issues of sensor size and resolution more so than perhaps noise at higher ISOs. On the other hand it could be that Panasonic are just a step ahead of Canon & Sony (and the "unknown" D3 sensor supplier) in developing sensors. I must admit I am mightily impressed by the Panasonic tiny (1/1.65" LX2 & 1/1.63" LX3) 10 Mp sensors in my LX2 and LX3 P&S pocket cameras. The Leica lenses probably also play a role here, but not in the above comparison where a Sigma 105 macro was use on all three cameras. Per the reviews I have read the LX3 seems to outperform the competition particularly at higher ISOs. Any views on this remarkable conclusion from the technical experts? Maybe Panasonic are just ahead of the pack in this area of sensor development?

[bfitzgerald]

I rarely take anything AP say as gospel. I used to get the mag often, and it's not bad in some ways. Aka it avoids the photoshop overload tutorials, which many mags overdo. On the other hand, I have never found their reviews or tests really very reliable or objective, often with the text giving a completely different slant to the final scores. Tread with some caution.

Onto the G1, I think it's not bad, but it's another camera that suffers from the "cool" look IMO it does not shine on a tonal level..so do we really care if AP rate it higher for res?? I don't!

[artington]

Agree about AP. Their scoring system is plain silly and the reviews are obsessed with noise issues. Pity, they used to be rather good.