Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W650

On this page, we are reviewing the Panasonic GX9 and Sony W650, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the GX9 (20MP) and W650 (16MP) and the GX9 (Four Thirds) and W650 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The GX9 was released 6 years later than the W650 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GX9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W650 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the GX9 scores against the W650 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic GX9 Gallery & Sony W650 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GX9 offers exterior measurements of 124mm x 72mm x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") along with a weight of 407 grams (0.90 lbs) and the Sony W650 has measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 124 grams (0.27 lbs).

See the Panasonic GX9 and Sony W650 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the GX9 vs the W650.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the GX9 and W650 is 82 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it is difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph here might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the GX9 and W650.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GX9 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic GX9 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics more aggressively. The fresher GX9 should have an edge in sensor technology.