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Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550

Portability
62
Imaging
59
Features
90
Overall
71
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 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 Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 658g - 137 x 97 x 92mm
  • Launched November 2017
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Introduced July 2011
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Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Panasonic G9 versus Sony W550, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the G9 (20MP) and W550 (14MP) and the G9 (Four Thirds) and W550 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The G9 was launched 6 years after the W550 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the G9 scores against the W550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G9 over the Sony W550

 G9 W550 
IntroducedNovember 2017July 2011Newer by 77 months
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Panasonic G9

 W550 G9 

Common features in the Panasonic G9 and Sony W550

 G9 W550 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements

Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic G9 features external measurements 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 W550 has proportions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic G9 versus Sony W550 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that moment. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the G9 against the W550.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the G9 and W550 is 62 and 96 respectively.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions merely by seeing specs. The image underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the G9 and W550.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The G9 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic G9 will show more detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The fresher G9 is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic G9
Portrait photography with Sony W550
75
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW files
28
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G9 Street photography info
Sony W550 Street photography info
75
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
boasts touch focus
environment sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G9 Sports photography information
Sony W550 Sports photography information
69
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high max frames per second (20.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
bad battery power (400 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
35
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
max fps low (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G9 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W550 as a Travel photography camera
69
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
boasts touch focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
selfie friendly display
bad battery power (400 CIPA)
65
MP count good (14MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G9 Landscape photography highlights
Sony W550 Landscape photography highlights
75
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
does not have low pass filter
above average ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
two card slots
bad battery power (400 shots)
42
relatively wide (26mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (14MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
no manual exposure
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G9 Vlogging features
Sony W550 Vlogging features
76
selfie friendly display
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes mic socket
29
relatively wide (26mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external microphone socket
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Panasonic G9 vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G9 and Sony W550
 Panasonic Lumix DC-G9Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Class Pro Mirrorless Ultracompact
Launched 2017-11-08 2011-07-24
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 225 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 26-104mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.7-5.7
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 3,680k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.83x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter rate 20.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.80 m
Flash options Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 658 grams (1.45 pounds) 110 grams (0.24 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 97 x 92mm (5.4" x 3.8" x 3.6") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 400 shots -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model DMW-BLF19 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Dual -
Retail pricing $1,500 $119