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Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37

Portability
74
Imaging
51
Features
66
Overall
57
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
65
Overall
59

Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Panasonic G5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 120 x 83 x 71mm
  • Introduced July 2012
  • Superseded the Panasonic G3
  • Renewed by Panasonic G6
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed May 2012
  • Previous Model is Sony A35
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Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 Overview

Its time to examine more in depth at the Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the G5 (16MP) and the A37 (16MP) is very comparable but the G5 (Four Thirds) and A37 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The G5 was introduced 3 months after the A37 which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic G5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the G5 grades versus the A37 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Panasonic G5 over the Sony A37

 G5 A37 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.6"Larger display (+0.4")
Display resolution920k230kCrisper display (+690k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Panasonic G5

 A37 G5 

Common features in the Panasonic G5 and Sony A37

 G5 A37 
RevealedJuly 2012May 2012Same age
Manual focus Very precise focus

Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to travel with your camera, you will need to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic G5 features outside dimensions of 120mm x 83mm x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") with a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) while the Sony A37 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

See the Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the G5 compared to the A37.

Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the G5 and A37 is 74 and 67 respectively.

Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor dimensions purely by going through technical specs. The image underneath will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the G5 and A37.

As you have seen, both the cameras have got the exact same resolution but not the same sensor dimensions. The G5 contains the smaller sensor which should make achieving shallow DOF trickier.

Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G5 Portrait photography info
Sony A37 Portrait photography info
70
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW files
73
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic G5
Street photography with Sony A37
66
screen articulates
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
provides touch to focus
no image stabilization
heavier than average (396 grams)
77
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
great ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G5 Sports photography details
Sony A37 Sports photography details
50
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
61
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow fps (6.0 frames/s)
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic G5 Travel photography factors
Sony A37 Travel photography factors
66
provides touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than average (396 grams)
54
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Timelapse function
bad battery power (500 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G5 Landscape photography advice
Sony A37 Landscape photography advice
65
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
no Time Lapse mode
64
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.6 inch)
bad battery power (500 shots)
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic G5
Vlogging with Sony A37
62
selfie friendly screen
touch screen
supports face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
no image stabilization
no external mic jack
heavier than average (396g)
35
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic G5 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G5 and Sony A37
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 Sony SLT-A37
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2012-07-17 2012-05-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine VII FHD -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Lowest native ISO 160 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 23 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 2.6 inch
Screen resolution 920 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots 1,440 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.50 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 396 gr (0.87 lbs) 506 gr (1.12 lbs)
Dimensions 120 x 83 x 71mm (4.7" x 3.3" x 2.8") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 61 75
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 12.9
DXO Low light rating 618 799
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 500 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $699 $522