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Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500

Portability
72
Imaging
46
Features
47
Overall
46
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
51
Features
52
Overall
51

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Panasonic G10
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 388g - 124 x 90 x 74mm
  • Announced August 2010
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Replacement is Sony A560
Photography Glossary

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 Overview

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the G10 (12MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very similar but the G10 (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The G10 was announced 12 months after the A500 so they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise view of how the G10 matches up vs the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G10 over the Sony A500

 G10 A500 
IntroducedAugust 2010August 2009Newer by 12 months
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Panasonic G10

 A500 G10 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Panasonic G10 and Sony A500

 G10 A500 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic G10 has got physical measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 74mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 2.9") with a weight of 388 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. Following is the front view size comparison of the G10 vs the A500.

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the G10 and A500 is 72 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's difficult to envision the difference between sensor dimensions merely by reading technical specs. The pic underneath may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the G10 and A500.

As you can tell, each of the cameras posses the exact same megapixel count but not the same sensor dimensions. The G10 has got the tinier sensor which will make getting bokeh more challenging. The fresher G10 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G10 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A500 as a Portrait photography camera
59
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW files
low MP (12MP)
62
you can focus manually
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G10 as a Street photography camera
Sony A500 as a Street photography camera
58
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
no image stabilization
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G10 Sports photography advice
Sony A500 Sports photography advice
44
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
better than average battery (380 CIPA)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
has no phase detect AF
50
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery power (520 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G10 Travel photography features
Sony A500 Travel photography features
54
better than average battery (380 CIPA)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
43
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
not so great battery power (520 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G10 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A500 as a Landscape photography camera
58
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (380 CIPA)
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
missing Timelapse mode
60
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
not so great battery power (520 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G10 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A500 as a Vlogging camera
23
includes face detect focusing
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone port
9
no video recording
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Panasonic G10 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G10 and Sony A500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2010-08-09 2009-08-27
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine HD II Bionz
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 12MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 4272 x 2848
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 202 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.52x 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 11.00 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 388 gr (0.86 lbs) 630 gr (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 90 x 74mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 2.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 52 64
DXO Color Depth rating 21.2 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 11.6
DXO Low light rating 411 772
Other
Battery life 380 shots 520 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $550 $638