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Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500

Portability
59
Imaging
63
Features
89
Overall
73
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 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
  • Alternative Name is Lumix DC-GH5M2
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic GH5
  • Renewed by Panasonic GH6
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Push to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Revealed October 2016
  • Previous Model is Sony A6300
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Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Panasonic GH5 II and Sony A6500, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the GH5 II (20MP) and the A6500 (24MP) is relatively similar but the GH5 II (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The GH5 II was revealed 4 years after the A6500 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic GH5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the GH5 II grades vs the A6500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH5 II over the Sony A6500

 GH5 II A6500 
RevealedJuly 2021October 2016Newer by 59 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1840k922kClearer screen (+918k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Panasonic GH5 II

 A6500 GH5 II 

Common features in the Panasonic GH5 II and Sony A6500

 GH5 II A6500 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurement
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH5 II comes with outer measurements of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 727 grams (1.60 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

See the Panasonic GH5 II and Sony A6500 in our brand 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 select at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the GH5 II against the A6500.

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the GH5 II and A6500 is 59 and 81 respectively.

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions only by going over specifications. The pic underneath will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the GH5 II and A6500.

Plainly, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GH5 II using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A6500 will offer you extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The fresher GH5 II is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Portrait photography features
Sony A6500 Portrait photography features
77
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
80
manual focus
decent MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Street photography info
Sony A6500 Street photography info
74
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
includes focus by touch
environment proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
provides focus by touch
environment sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Sports photography camera
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
environment proofing
terrible battery (400 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
77
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
environment sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
bad battery (350 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Travel photography details
Sony A6500 Travel photography details
69
environment proofing
supports bluetooth
includes focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
terrible battery (400 CIPA)
74
environment sealing
has bluetooth
provides focus by touch
decent MP (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
bad battery (350 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Landscape photography highlights
Sony A6500 Landscape photography highlights
76
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
has double storage slots
terrible battery (400 shots)
79
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
bad battery (350 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH5 II Vlogging highlights
Sony A6500 Vlogging highlights
76
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect autofocus
high quality video (4992 x 3744 pixels)
has mic port
39
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have external microphone socket
screen is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic GH5 II vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH5 II and Sony A6500
 Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 IISony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II Sony Alpha a6500
Also called as Lumix DC-GH5M2 -
Type Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2021-07-30 2016-10-06
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 25600 25600
Highest boosted ISO - 51200
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 225 425
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 108 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,840k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,680k dots 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.76x 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/16000s 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 12.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 4992x3744 (30p/?25p/?24p) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 4992x3744 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 grams (1.60 pounds) 453 grams (1.00 pounds)
Dimensions 139 x 98 x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 85
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.1 13.7
DXO Low light rating 1136 1405
Other
Battery life 400 photos 350 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DMW-BLK22 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Two 1
Launch cost $1,700 $1,298