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Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550

Portability
74
Imaging
53
Features
79
Overall
63
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Panasonic G6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 390g - 122 x 85 x 71mm
  • Launched April 2013
  • Replaced the Panasonic G5
  • Replacement is Panasonic G7
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched December 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A100
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Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 Overview

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Panasonic G6 versus Sony A550, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the G6 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is pretty similar but the G6 (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The G6 was manufactured 3 years later than the A550 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic G6 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the G6 scores vs the A550 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G6 over the Sony A550

 G6 A550 
LaunchedApril 2013December 2009More recent by 42 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1036k922kCrisper screen (+114k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Panasonic G6

 A550 G6 

Common features in the Panasonic G6 and Sony A550

 G6 A550 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing

Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic G6 has external dimensions of 122mm x 85mm x 71mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.8") with a weight of 390 grams (0.86 lbs) and the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic G6 versus Sony A550 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the G6 and the A550.

Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the G6 and A550 is 74 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to see the gap between sensor measurements just by reviewing specifications. The graphic underneath should give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the G6 and A550.

To sum up, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The G6 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic G6 will offer more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more modern G6 is going to have a benefit in sensor innovation.

Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G6 Portrait photography details
Sony A550 Portrait photography details
71
focusing manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
72
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G6 Street photography highlights
Sony A550 Street photography highlights
73
screen articulates
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
74
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Panasonic G6 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A550 as a Sports photography camera
56
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
no image stabilization
no phase detect AF
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
terrible battery pack (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic G6
Travel photography with Sony A550
72
comes with focus via touch
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
lack of Time Lapse recording
52
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (480 per charge)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G6 Landscape photography factors
Sony A550 Landscape photography factors
67
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
good megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse recording
66
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
terrible battery pack (480 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G6 Vlogging factors
Sony A550 Vlogging factors
73
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
includes face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic support
no image stabilization
9
lack of video recording
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Panasonic G6 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G6 and Sony A550
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2013-04-24 2009-12-09
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Minimum native ISO 160 200
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 1,036 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 7.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
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, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25fps -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 390 grams (0.86 lbs) 632 grams (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 122 x 85 x 71mm (4.8" x 3.3" x 2.8") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 61 66
DXO Color Depth score 21.3 21.9
DXO Dynamic range score 11.5 11.8
DXO Low light score 639 807
Other
Battery life 340 images 480 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $750 $749