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Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500

Portability
59
Imaging
79
Features
93
Overall
84
Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark II front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 Key Specs

Panasonic S5 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 5952 x 3968 video
  • Leica L Mount
  • 740g - 134 x 102 x 90mm
  • Released January 2023
  • Replaced the Panasonic S5
Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Announced March 2014
  • Replaced the Sony A3000
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Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 Overview

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Panasonic S5 II and Sony a3500, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the S5 II (24MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is very well matched but the S5 II (Full frame) and a3500 (APS-C) boast different sensor measurements.

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The S5 II was launched 8 years after the a3500 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a concise summation of how the S5 II matches up versus the a3500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic S5 II over the Sony a3500

 S5 II a3500 
AnnouncedJanuary 2023March 2014Newer by 108 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1840k230kSharper display (+1610k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Panasonic S5 II

 a3500 S5 II 

Common features in the Panasonic S5 II and Sony a3500

 S5 II a3500 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Display dimensions3.00"3"Equal display measurements

Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic S5 II enjoys external measurements of 134mm x 102mm x 90mm (5.3" x 4.0" x 3.5") accompanied by a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs) whilst the Sony a3500 has sizing of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic S5 II and Sony a3500 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the S5 II vs the a3500.

Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S5 II and a3500 is 59 and 69 respectively.

Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions purely by checking a spec sheet. The pic underneath might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the S5 II and a3500.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The S5 II due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic S5 II will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The younger S5 II provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic S5 II Portrait photography features
Sony a3500 Portrait photography features
87
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW files
77
manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic S5 II Street photography advice
Sony a3500 Street photography advice
78
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
includes focus by touch
weather proofing
above average ISO range (51,200)
57
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (411g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic S5 II Sports photography details
Sony a3500 Sports photography details
83
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
not so great battery (370 shots)
60
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
better than average battery (470 shots)
max frames per second very slow (4.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic S5 II
Travel photography with Sony a3500
72
weather proofing
has bluetooth
includes focus by touch
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
not so great battery (370 shots)
60
better than average battery (470 CIPA)
megapixel count good (20MP)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition in class (411 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic S5 II Landscape photography features
Sony a3500 Landscape photography features
83
focusing manually
swap lenses (Leica L mount)
screen size is decent (3.00 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti-alias filter
above average ISO range (51,200)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
two card slots
not so great battery (370 per charge)
70
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
better than average battery (470 shots)
does not have image stabilization
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic S5 II Vlogging features
Sony a3500 Vlogging features
79
selfie friendly display
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
good video quality (5952 x 3968 pxls)
has external microphone socket
26
comes with face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
lack of external microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (411g)
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Panasonic S5 II vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic S5 II and Sony a3500
 Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark IISony Alpha a3500
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 Mark II Sony Alpha a3500
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2023-01-04 2014-03-21
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ image
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 35.6 x 23.8mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 847.3mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 24MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6000 x 4000 5456 x 3632
Max native ISO 51200 16000
Max boosted ISO 204800 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Min boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 779 25
Lens
Lens support Leica L Sony E
Amount of lenses 65 121
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3.00 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,840 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 3,680 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x 0.47x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Maximum quiet shutter speed 1/8000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 9.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash options Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync w/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 5952 x 3968 @ 30p/24p 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 5952x3968 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, H.265 AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.2 Gen 2 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 740 gr (1.63 lb) 411 gr (0.91 lb)
Physical dimensions 134 x 102 x 90mm (5.3" x 4.0" x 3.5") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 370 images 470 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DMW-BLJ31 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card -
Storage slots Dual 1
Cost at launch $2,000 $398