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Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500

Portability
62
Imaging
50
Features
82
Overall
62
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Panasonic GH5S
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 660g - 139 x 98 x 87mm
  • Revealed January 2018
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Raise to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Launched October 2016
  • Old Model is Sony A6300
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic GH5S and Sony A6500, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the GH5S (10MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the GH5S (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The GH5S was manufactured 16 months after the A6500 which makes them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GH5S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the GH5S grades against the A6500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH5S over the Sony A6500

 GH5S A6500 
LaunchedJanuary 2018October 2016More modern by 16 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1620k922kCrisper screen (+698k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Panasonic GH5S

 A6500 GH5S 

Common features in the Panasonic GH5S and Sony A6500

 GH5S A6500 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH5S provides external dimensions of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs) while the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check the Panasonic GH5S and Sony A6500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the GH5S vs the A6500.

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GH5S and A6500 is 62 and 81 respectively.

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes merely by looking through specifications. The image below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH5S and A6500.

Plainly, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The GH5S due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Sony A6500 will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 14MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The newer GH5S should have an advantage in sensor technology.

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH5S Portrait photography info
Sony A6500 Portrait photography info
62
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
low megapixels (10MP)
80
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GH5S
Street photography with Sony A6500
68
fully articulated screen
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
features touch to focus
weather proofing
very good ISO range (51,200)
does not have image stabilization
85
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW files
comes with touch to focus
environment proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH5S Sports photography features
Sony A6500 Sports photography features
56
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/16,000s)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
lack of phase detect auto focus
77
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
terrible battery power (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic GH5S
Travel photography with Sony A6500
61
weather proofing
has bluetooth
features touch to focus
selfie friendly screen
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (10MP)
74
environment proofing
has bluetooth
comes with touch to focus
decent megapixels (24MP)
flash built-in
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH5S Landscape photography advice
Sony A6500 Landscape photography advice
63
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inch)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
no low pass filter
very good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
has double storage slots
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
79
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
terrible battery power (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH5S Vlogging features
Sony A6500 Vlogging features
68
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
has face detect focus
high res video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
comes with mic port
does not have image stabilization
39
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have microphone jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic GH5S vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH5S and Sony A6500
 Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5SSony Alpha a6500
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S Sony Alpha a6500
Type Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2018-01-08 2016-10-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine 10 Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3680 x 2760 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 51200 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 204800 51200
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 225 425
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3.2 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,620 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,680 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.76x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 12.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes 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
Highest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 660 gr (1.46 lbs) 453 gr (1.00 lbs)
Physical 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 score not tested 85
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 440 shots 350 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model DMW-BLF19 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, 10 secs w/3 images) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC cards (UHS-II V60 cards supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots 2 Single
Launch pricing $2,498 $1,298