Panasonic G9 vs Sony W380

Below, we are evaluating the Panasonic G9 vs Sony W380, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the G9 (20MP) and W380 (14MP) and the G9 (Four Thirds) and W380 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The G9 was manufactured 7 years later than the W380 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W380 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a full comparison, below is a short introduction of how the G9 grades versus the W380 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W380. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic G9 Gallery & Sony W380 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic G9 comes with external measurements of 137mm x 97mm x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") having a weight of 658 grams (1.45 lbs) and the Sony W380 has measurements of 91mm x 52mm x 20mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Check the Panasonic G9 vs Sony W380 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the G9 and the W380.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the G9 and W380 is 62 and 96 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizing merely by looking through specs. The graphic here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the G9 and W380.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The G9 due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic G9 will result in greater detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The younger G9 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.