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Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550

Portability
62
Imaging
60
Features
90
Overall
72
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Panasonic G9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Revealed November 2017
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced December 2009
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
Photography Glossary

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 Overview

The following is a extended assessment of the Panasonic G9 and Sony A550, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the G9 (20MP) and A550 (14MP) and the G9 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.

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The G9 was revealed 8 years after the A550 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a in depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the G9 matches up vs the A550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Sony A550

 G9 A550 
IntroducedNovember 2017December 2009Newer by 97 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k922kSharper screen (+118k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Panasonic G9

 A550 G9 

Common features in the Panasonic G9 and Sony A550

 G9 A550 
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to travel with your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic G9 has got outer dimensions of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") and a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic G9 and Sony A550 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the G9 vs the A550.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the G9 and A550 is 62 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to envision the gap between sensor dimensions just by reviewing technical specs. The pic below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the G9 and A550.

As you have seen, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The G9 with its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Panasonic G9 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The newer G9 will have an advantage in sensor technology.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G9 Portrait photography features
Sony A550 Portrait photography features
76
manual focus
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
72
has manual focus
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G9 as a Street photography camera
Sony A550 as a Street photography camera
75
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
features focus via touch
weather proof
very good ISO range (25,600)
74
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G9 Sports photography information
Sony A550 Sports photography information
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet mode (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather proof
terrible battery (400 per charge)
does not have phase detect autofocus
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
not so great battery pack (480 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G9 Travel photography highlights
Sony A550 Travel photography highlights
70
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
features focus via touch
resolution is good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery (400 CIPA)
52
good MP (14MP)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery pack (480 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G9 Landscape photography advice
Sony A550 Landscape photography advice
76
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
does not have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
has double storage slots
terrible battery (400 CIPA)
66
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
not so great battery pack (480 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A550 as a Vlogging camera
76
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external microphone port
9
lack of video recording
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Panasonic G9 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G9 and Sony A550
 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2017-11-08 2009-12-09
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 200 200
RAW photos
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 225 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 3,680 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.83x 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Max quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter speed 20.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM -
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 658g (1.45 lb) 632g (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 807
Other
Battery life 400 shots 480 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DMW-BLF19 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported) SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 2 1
Retail cost $1,500 $749