Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 vs DMC-G95: An In-Depth Comparison for Every Photographer’s Toolbox

Choosing the right camera can feel overwhelming with so many models and overlapping features in the mirrorless segment. Today, we dive deep into two popular Panasonic Lumix Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras: the entry-level G100 (DC-G100) and the more advanced G95 (DMC-G95). With over 15 years of professional camera testing experience, we’ll break down these cameras’ strengths and weaknesses, highlight their practical performance across genres, and help you decide which fits your creative needs and budget.

Let’s start with a side-by-side visual comparison to understand their form factors.

First Impressions: Design, Build, and Handling

Both the Panasonic G100 and G95 feature an SLR-style mirrorless body with the familiar Micro Four Thirds lens mount. This mount grants access to an extensive lens lineup (~107 lenses) from Panasonic and Olympus/Olympus-owned brands, allowing you plenty of creative flexibility.

Size and Weight:

• G100: Compact and lightweight at 352g, measuring 116x83x54mm. Its smaller form makes it ideal for travel, street photography, and vlogging where portability is key.
• G95: Larger and heavier at 536g, sized 130x94x77mm. The extra heft contributes to enhanced grip, balanced handling, and ruggedness for professional use.

Ergonomics and Controls:
The G95’s larger body houses more physical dials and buttons, facilitating faster manual adjustments in dynamic situations, especially useful in sports or wildlife photography. The G100 focuses on simplicity and ease of use with a streamlined interface, tailored toward vloggers and beginners prioritizing straightforward operation.

Build Quality:

• The G95 boasts environmental sealing, offering splash and dust resistance - a definite plus for shooters venturing outdoors in unpredictable conditions.
• The G100 does not include weather sealing, which aligns with its entry-level positioning and lighter build.

Both cameras feature fully articulating 3-inch touchscreen LCDs, but there’s a significant resolution difference worth noting.

• G100: High-resolution 1.84M-dot fully articulated screen, supporting touch autofocus, menu navigation, and selfie-friendly angles, perfect for content creators and vloggers.
• G95: 1.24M-dot fully articulated touchscreen, slightly lower resolution but with robust tactile controls and a more traditional interface geared to experienced photographers.

Additionally, both incorporate electronic viewfinders (EVF) - an indispensable tool for bright light shooting.

• G100 EVF: 3680k dots, 0.73x magnification, 100% coverage
• G95 EVF: 2360k dots, 0.74x magnification, 100% coverage

The G100 actually has a higher-res EVF, surprising for an entry-level model, but its smaller viewfinder window reflects the compact body constraints.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Camera

At their core, both cameras use a 20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor measuring 17.3x13mm. This sensor size is smaller than APS-C and full frame but benefits from a wealth of optimized lenses delivering sharp optics and balanced depth of field.

• Chip Differences: The G95 lacks an anti-aliasing filter, leading to potentially sharper, crisper images at the slight risk of moiré in fine patterns. The G100 includes the filter, favoring artifact suppression for smoother images - a smart choice for video-focused users.
• ISO Range: Both have a native ISO 200–25600 range, extendable down to ISO 100 for base quality shots. While not groundbreaking, this ISO spectrum suits most lighting environments up to moderate low-light conditions.
• Image Processing: The G95 benefits from Panasonic’s Venus Engine processor, offering efficient noise reduction, color fidelity, and faster image writing. The G100’s processor details aren’t specified but provide competent output matching its class.

Image Quality in Practice

We tested image quality on both cameras across different lighting scenarios. The G95 delivers slightly better clarity and dynamic range in raw files thanks to its lack of an AA filter and advanced processor. Shadow recovery is cleaner, and highlight roll-off feels smoother in challenging exposures. The G100 produces pleasing JPEGs directly with balanced colors - ideal if you prefer out-of-camera versatility without heavy post-processing.

Panasonic G100 front Panasonic G100 screen back Panasonic G95 front Panasonic G95 screen back

Sample images comparing sharpness, color accuracy, and detail retention across various conditions.

Autofocus Systems: Tracking What Matters

Autofocus (AF) performance can make or break usability, especially in fast-paced shooting genres.

Unlike some higher-end systems employing phase-detection AF, both rely on contrast-detection, which can slow down focus tracking, especially on moving subjects.

In real-world tests, the G95 outperforms the G100 with slightly quicker acquisition and more consistent subject tracking during bursts. This means for wildlife and sports photographers chasing action, the G95 provides a significant edge.

Burst Shooting and Shutter Specs: Capturing the Decisive Moment

Burst shooting speeds measure how effectively a camera can freeze fast action:

• G100: 10 fps continuous shooting - impressive for an entry level model, enabling sharp sequences in street or candid photography.
• G95: 9 fps continuous shooting - slightly slower but still competitive and built with advanced buffer management for longer bursts.

Shutter speed range also matters:

The electronic shutter on both cameras opens creative opportunities for silent shooting in quiet environments or fast shutter speeds exceeding mechanical limits.

Image Stabilization: Keeping Shots Rock-Steady

One of the biggest differences lies in image stabilization:

• G95: Incorporates sensor-based 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS), a distinct advantage for hand-held photography and handheld video shooting. This helps you get sharper images in low light and smooth handheld video without gimbals.
• G100: Does not have IBIS, relying instead on lens-based stabilization if available. This makes the G100 less flexible for handheld shooting in tricky conditions.

If you often shoot in sunlight-challenged environments or do a lot of video, the G95’s IBIS is a game-changer.

Video Recording: Bringing Stories to Life

With content creation going mainstream, video features are crucial.

G95’s video mode is clearly geared towards enthusiasts and semi-professionals, offering headphone monitoring and IBIS support for better audio/video quality. In contrast, the G100 caters to vloggers with selfie-friendly articulation and simplified controls, but lacks some pro video conveniences.

Battery Life and Storage: Shooting Longer

• G100: Rated for ~270 shots per charge. This may require backup batteries for extended shoots.
• G95: Slightly better endurance at ~290 shots per charge.

Both accept a single SD card slot. Notably, the G95 supports faster UHS-II cards - helpful for 4K video bitrate and buffer clearing. The G100 supports UHS-I.

Connectivity and Workflow Integration

Seamless sharing and tethering streamline modern photography:

Both cameras have integrated wireless for easy remote control and image transfer. USB 2.0 is serviceable but not as fast as USB 3.0 competitors.

Assessing Performance Across Photography Genres

Let’s see how each camera fares in practical, genre-specific use cases with performance ratings.

Portrait Photography

• G95: Superior image quality with sharper results, better dynamic range for skin tones, and effective eye detection AF. The 5-axis IBIS aids handheld low-light portraits.
• G100: Good for casual portraits and vloggers; selfie-friendly articulated screen helps framing. Slightly softer images but pleasing color rendering overall.

Landscape Photography

• G95: Environmental sealing, higher dynamic range, and sharper sensor without AA filter make it ideal for landscapes and nature lovers.
• G100: Decent landscape performer but more suited to fair weather outings given lack of sealing.

Wildlife & Sports Photography

• G95: Faster AF response in continuous modes, reliable tracking, and a robust grip contribute to superior action shooting.
• G100: Usable for casual wildlife but less consistent with fast moving subjects.

Street Photography

• G100: Small size, light weight, and silent electronic shutter excel here.
• G95: Bulkier, but sturdy; noisier mechanical shutter may attract attention.

Macro Photography

Both cameras offer focus stacking and post-focus, enhancing close-up precision. Yet the G95’s IBIS again provides an edge for delicate handheld macro shots.

Night & Astro Photography

Low native ISO noise is moderate on both. The G95’s IBIS helps reduce blur in handheld low-light conditions. Neither camera is specialized here but are serviceable for enthusiastic amateurs.

Video and Vlogging

• G100: Tailored exactly for vloggers - high-res articulating screen, light body, and 4K 30p video formats meet YouTube content creators’ needs well.
• G95: Best suited for creators wanting tighter control, headphone monitoring, and enhanced stabilization.

Travel Photography

The G100’s compactness and low weight give it a distinct advantage for travelers wanting a capable yet portable camera. The G95 is excellent for those prioritizing weather resistance and all-around versatility but at heavier bulk.

Professional Work

The G95’s rugged sealing, IBIS, better ergonomics, and higher-end video features make it capable for semi-pro and pro assignments, especially with integration into raw workflow and tethered shooting.

Summary Performance Ratings

Here’s a visual breakdown of overall performance and value:

Final Thoughts: Which Panasonic Mirrorless Suits You?

Choose the Panasonic Lumix G100 if you:

• Are a vlogger or casual content creator needing an ultra-portable, easy-to-use camera.
• Prioritize selfie-friendly articulation and simplified operation.
• Shoot mostly outdoors in decent lighting without extreme weather.
• Want a strong entry-level mirrorless with good video and image quality for under $700.
• Value portability and quick setup above all.

Opt for the Panasonic Lumix G95 if you:

• Need a more robust, all-weather camera for outdoor, landscape, and action photography.
• Desire wider creative control with physical dials and better ergonomics.
• Shoot handheld video requiring in-body stabilization and headphone monitoring.
• Prioritize slightly better image quality and faster AF tracking for wildlife or sports.
• Are willing to invest around $1000 for an advanced enthusiast platform.

Getting the Most From Your Panasonic Mirrorless

No matter which camera you pick, here are our tips for maximizing your Panasonic MFT experience:

• Explore lens options: The Micro Four Thirds ecosystem offers everything from fast primes to weather-sealed telephotos. A good lens often impacts image quality more than the camera body.
• Practice manual controls: Both cameras support manual focus and exposure modes, great opportunities to grow creatively.
• Utilize image stabilization: On the G95, experiment with IBIS in tricky low-light or handheld video to see how much sharper footage and photos can get.
• Try focus stacking and post-focus: Both cameras support focus bracketing for macro or landscape depth of field mastery.
• Invest in SD cards: Use high-speed UHS-II cards with the G95 for uninterrupted 4K video recording.

Wrapping Up

The Panasonic Lumix G100 is a thoughtful design for newcomers and vloggers seeking compactness and ease, while the G95 is a versatile workhorse for enthusiasts pushing advanced photography and videography boundaries. Our extensive tests confirm each has earned its place.

If you want a relatively affordable stepping stone into serious mirrorless photography or video blogging, start with the G100. If you need weather-sealed durability, stronger video tools, and better AF for fast action, the G95 is well worth the extra cost.

Panasonic G100 front Panasonic G100 screen back Panasonic G95 front Panasonic G95 screen back

Explore hands-on, try out both bodies if you can, and find the right Panasonic companion for your creative journey. Happy shooting!

This review article reflects over a decade of camera assessment expertise, combining technical insights with practical evaluation to guide your purchase confidently.