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Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N

Portability
82
Imaging
46
Features
50
Overall
47
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5N front
Portability
89
Imaging
56
Features
69
Overall
61

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Panasonic G1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Push to 3200)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 360g - 124 x 84 x 45mm
  • Revealed January 2009
  • Newer Model is Panasonic G2
Sony NEX-5N
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Revealed October 2011
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-5
  • Updated by Sony NEX-5R
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Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N Overview

Here is a thorough overview of the Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the G1 (12MP) and NEX-5N (16MP) and the G1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5N (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.

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The G1 was launched 3 years before the NEX-5N and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic G1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the G1 scores versus the NEX-5N in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G1 over the Sony NEX-5N

 G1 NEX-5N 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5N over the Panasonic G1

 NEX-5N G1 
RevealedOctober 2011January 2009Fresher by 32 months
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic G1 and Sony NEX-5N

 G1 NEX-5N 
Manually focus More precise focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry your camera, you should consider its weight and size. The Panasonic G1 has got exterior measurements of 124mm x 84mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 360 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5N has specifications of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the G1 and the NEX-5N.

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the G1 and NEX-5N is 82 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to envision the gap in sensor sizing just by seeing specs. The graphic underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the G1 and NEX-5N.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The G1 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony NEX-5N will provide more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The older G1 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N sensor size comparison

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G1 Portrait photography details
Sony NEX-5N Portrait photography details
57
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low resolution (12MP)
73
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G1 as a Street photography camera
Sony NEX-5N as a Street photography camera
72
screen articulates
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
80
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
provides focus by touch
great ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G1 Sports photography highlights
Sony NEX-5N Sports photography highlights
33
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (12 megapixels)
has no phase detect auto focus
58
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery life (460 shots)
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic G1
Travel photography with Sony NEX-5N
62
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
lack of Time Lapse function
low resolution (12MP)
70
better than average battery life (460 shots)
provides focus by touch
good resolution (16 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G1 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-5N Landscape photography factors
57
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (12MP)
lack of Time Lapse function
71
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
better than average battery life (460 shots)
no image stabilization
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G1 Vlogging highlights
Sony NEX-5N Vlogging highlights
18
no video shooting
33
touch screen
has face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
missing mic support
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Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5N Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G1 and Sony NEX-5N
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1Sony Alpha NEX-5N
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2009-01-19 2011-10-03
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 3200 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - Tilt Up 80°, Down 45° TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.50 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 360g (0.79 pounds) 269g (0.59 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 84 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 53 77
DXO Color Depth score 21.1 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 12.7
DXO Low light score 463 1079
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 460 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/MMC/SDHC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $0 $550