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Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R

Portability
82
Imaging
47
Features
50
Overall
48
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5R front
Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R Key Specs

Panasonic G1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 3200)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 360g - 124 x 84 x 45mm
  • Released January 2009
  • New Model is Panasonic G2
Sony NEX-5R
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Announced August 2012
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-5N
  • Successor is Sony NEX-5T
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Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R Overview

Lets look more closely at the Panasonic G1 versus Sony NEX-5R, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by brands Panasonic and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the G1 (12MP) and NEX-5R (16MP) and the G1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-5R (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The G1 was released 4 years prior to the NEX-5R and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic G1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the G1 scores versus the NEX-5R with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

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

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

 NEX-5R G1 
AnnouncedAugust 2012January 2009Fresher by 43 months
Screen resolution920k460kClearer screen (+460k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

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

 G1 NEX-5R 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic G1 enjoys external measurements of 124mm x 84mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") and a weight of 360 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5R has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic G1 versus Sony NEX-5R in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you select at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the G1 and the NEX-5R.

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the G1 and NEX-5R is 82 and 89 respectively.

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

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizing just by checking specs. The graphic here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the G1 and NEX-5R.

All in all, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The G1 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony NEX-5R will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots way more aggressively. The older G1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R sensor size comparison

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G1 Portrait photography details
Sony NEX-5R Portrait photography details
58
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
74
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G1 Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-5R Street photography highlights
72
fully articulated screen
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
80
screen tilts
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
good high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G1 Sports photography information
Sony NEX-5R Sports photography information
33
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
lack of phase detect AF
68
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
comes with phase detect autofocus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G1 Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-5R Travel photography highlights
62
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
does not have Time Lapse function
low MP (12MP)
73
comes with focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic G1
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-5R
58
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
75
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G1 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-5R Vlogging features
18
no video
31
touchscreen functionality
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
no mic jack
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Panasonic G1 vs Sony NEX-5R Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G1 and Sony NEX-5R
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1Sony Alpha NEX-5R
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Sony Alpha NEX-5R
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2009-01-19 2012-08-29
Body design 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 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 3200 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 99
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology - Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.50 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 360 grams (0.79 lb) 276 grams (0.61 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 84 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 53 78
DXO Color Depth rating 21.1 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 13.1
DXO Low light rating 463 910
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 330 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $0 $750