Panasonic G5 vs Sony W290
74 Imaging
52 Features
66 Overall
57


94 Imaging
34 Features
28 Overall
31
Panasonic G5 vs Sony W290 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 160 - 12800
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 396g - 120 x 83 x 71mm
- Released July 2012
- Old Model is Panasonic G3
- Newer Model is Panasonic G6
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
- Launched February 2009

Panasonic G5 vs Sony W290 Overview
The following is a complete comparison of the Panasonic G5 versus Sony W290, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the G5 (16MP) and W290 (12MP) and the G5 (Four Thirds) and W290 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

The G5 was launched 3 years after the W290 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.
Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise overview of how the G5 grades versus the W290 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Panasonic G5 vs Sony W290 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic G5 Gallery & Sony W290 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic G5 over the Sony W290
G5 | W290 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | July 2012 | ![]() | February 2009 | Newer by 42 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 920k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+690k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Panasonic G5
W290 | G5 |
---|
Common features in the Panasonic G5 and Sony W290
G5 | W290 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial accurate focusing | ||
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent screen dimensions |
Panasonic G5 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic G5 comes with exterior dimensions of 120mm x 83mm x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") along with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) while the Sony W290 has measurements of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Analyze the Panasonic G5 versus Sony W290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the G5 and the W290.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the G5 and W290 is 74 and 94 respectively.

Panasonic G5 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it's tough to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by looking through specifications. The image underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the G5 and W290.
To sum up, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The G5 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic G5 will result in more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots far more aggressively. The more recent G5 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic G5 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G5 vs Sony W290 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Panasonic | Sony |
Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2012-07-17 | 2009-02-17 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Venus Engine VII FHD | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 3200 |
Minimum native ISO | 160 | 80 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
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 | ||
Number of focus points | 23 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 28-140mm (5.0x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/3.3-5.2 |
Macro focus range | - | 10cm |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Range of display | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 920k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Display tech | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440k dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.7x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 2 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/1600 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | 6.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 10.50 m | 3.90 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/160 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video format | MPEG-4, AVCHD | MPEG-4 |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 396 gr (0.87 lbs) | 167 gr (0.37 lbs) |
Dimensions | 120 x 83 x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") | 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 61 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.4 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.6 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 618 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 320 pictures | - |
Battery format | Battery Pack | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Retail price | $699 | $230 |