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Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7

Portability
59
Imaging
63
Features
89
Overall
73
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II front
 
Sony Alpha A7 front
Portability
78
Imaging
70
Features
80
Overall
74

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 Key Specs

Panasonic GH5 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4992 x 3744 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 727g - 139 x 98 x 87mm
  • Released July 2021
  • Other Name is Lumix DC-GH5M2
  • Replaced the Panasonic GH5
  • Replacement is Panasonic GH6
Sony A7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Revealed January 2014
  • Successor is Sony A7 II
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Panasonic GH5 II versus Sony A7, both Pro Mirrorless cameras by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the GH5 II (20MP) and the A7 (24MP) is pretty comparable but the GH5 II (Four Thirds) and A7 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The GH5 II was launched 7 years after the A7 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief summation of how the GH5 II matches up versus the A7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH5 II over the Sony A7

 GH5 II A7 
RevealedJuly 2021January 2014More modern by 92 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1840k1230kSharper screen (+610k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Panasonic GH5 II

 A7 GH5 II 

Common features in the Panasonic GH5 II and Sony A7

 GH5 II A7 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic GH5 II enjoys external dimensions of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") and a weight of 727 grams (1.60 lbs) whilst the Sony A7 has specifications of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic GH5 II versus Sony A7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the GH5 II and the A7.

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the GH5 II and A7 is 59 and 78 respectively.

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to picture the gap in sensor sizes simply by seeing specs. The pic below might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH5 II and A7.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The GH5 II because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A7 will produce more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The newer GH5 II should have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Portrait photography highlights
Sony A7 Portrait photography highlights
77
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
82
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Street photography factors
Sony A7 Street photography factors
74
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
boasts touch to focus
environment proofing
great ISO range (25,600)
79
screen tilts up and down
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
lighter than competitors (474g)
great ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GH5 II
Sports photography with Sony A7
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment proofing
not so great battery life (400 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
66
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
environment proof
has phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (340 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Travel photography info
Sony A7 Travel photography info
69
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
boasts touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery life (400 per charge)
69
lighter than competitors (474 grams)
environment proof
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
not so great battery power (340 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Landscape photography details
Sony A7 Landscape photography details
76
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti aliasing filter
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
2 card slots
not so great battery life (400 CIPA)
75
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (340 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Vlogging factors
Sony A7 Vlogging factors
76
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
good video quality (4992 x 3744 pxls)
includes external mic support
35
supports face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone support
lighter than competitors (474g)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
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Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH5 II and Sony A7
 Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 IISony Alpha A7
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II Sony Alpha A7
Other name Lumix DC-GH5M2 -
Class Pro Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Released 2021-07-30 2014-01-22
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 25600 25600
Min native ISO 200 50
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 225 117
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 108 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,840 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,680 thousand dots 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.76x 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting rate 12.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 4992x3744 (30p/?25p/?24p) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 4992x3744 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 727 gr (1.60 lb) 474 gr (1.04 lb)
Dimensions 139 x 98 x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 90
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 24.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.1 14.2
DXO Low light rating 1136 2248
Other
Battery life 400 photos 340 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DMW-BLK22 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Two 1
Launch pricing $1,700 $798