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Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
81
Imaging
62
Features
76
Overall
67
Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Panasonic G100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 3840 x 1920 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 352g - 116 x 83 x 54mm
  • Released June 2020
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Updated by Sony NEX-5N
Photography Glossary

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Panasonic G100 and Sony NEX-5, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the G100 (20MP) and NEX-5 (14MP) and the G100 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The G100 was announced 10 years later than the NEX-5 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic G100 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple view of how the G100 grades vs the NEX-5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G100 over the Sony NEX-5

 G100 NEX-5 
IntroducedJune 2020June 2010Fresher by 123 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1840k920kSharper screen (+920k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Panasonic G100

 NEX-5 G100 

Common features in the Panasonic G100 and Sony NEX-5

 G100 NEX-5 
Manual focus Dial accurate focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic G100 comes with outer dimensions of 116mm x 83mm x 54mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 2.1") and a weight of 352 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Sony NEX-5 has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic G100 and Sony NEX-5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that moment. The following is a front view scale comparison of the G100 compared to the NEX-5.

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the G100 and NEX-5 is 81 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is hard to visualise the difference between sensor sizing simply by going over specs. The photograph below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the G100 and NEX-5.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The G100 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Panasonic G100 will offer extra detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The fresher G100 will have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G100 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Portrait photography camera
77
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
72
focusing manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G100 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Street photography camera
78
screen articulates fully
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
76
screen tilts
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G100 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-5 as a Sports photography camera
56
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
low max shutter speed (1/500 seconds)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery life (270 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
52
MP count good (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G100 Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-5 Travel photography factors
78
supports bluetooth
boasts focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
bad battery life (270 shots)
59
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G100 Landscape photography advice
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography advice
71
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
bad battery life (270 shots)
68
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G100 Vlogging factors
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging factors
78
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen
provides face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 1920 resolution)
includes external mic support
lack of image stabilization
28
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
lack of mic jack
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Panasonic G100 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G100 and Sony NEX-5
 Panasonic Lumix DC-G100Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DC-G100 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2020-06-24 2010-06-07
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW data
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 49 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,840 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 3,680 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.73x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/500 secs 1/4000 secs
Max quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 10.0 frames per second 7.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.60 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, on, on w/redeye redduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 1920 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC3840 x 1920 @ 25p / 100 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC3840 x 1920 @ 24p / 100 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 120p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 50p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 28 Mbps, MOV, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x1920 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 352g (0.78 lbs) 287g (0.63 lbs)
Physical dimensions 116 x 83 x 54mm (4.6" x 3.3" x 2.1") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 69
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.2
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 796
Other
Battery life 270 photos 330 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $698 $599