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Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500

Portability
69
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
51
Features
52
Overall
51

Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Panasonic G85
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 505g - 128 x 89 x 74mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-G80
  • Successor is Panasonic G95
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
  • Launched August 2009
  • Newer Model is Sony A560
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Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 Overview

In this article, we are matching up the Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the G85 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the G85 (Four Thirds) and A500 (APS-C) use different sensor size.

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The G85 was launched 7 years later than the A500 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic G85 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the G85 grades vs the A500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic G85 over the Sony A500

 G85 A500 
LaunchedSeptember 2016August 2009Fresher by 86 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Panasonic G85

 A500 G85 

Common features in the Panasonic G85 and Sony A500

 G85 A500 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size

Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic G85 offers outer measurements of 128mm x 89mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.5" x 2.9") and a weight of 505 grams (1.11 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the G85 vs the A500.

Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the G85 and A500 is 69 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor sizing purely by viewing a spec sheet. The visual here will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the G85 and A500.

Clearly, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The G85 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Panasonic G85 will provide you with greater detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The newer G85 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic G85 Portrait photography details
Sony A500 Portrait photography details
72
manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
62
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic G85 Street photography highlights
Sony A500 Street photography highlights
77
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
features touch to focus
weather proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
74
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic G85 Sports photography info
Sony A500 Sports photography info
64
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
terrible battery power (330 CIPA)
no phase detect AF
50
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (520 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic G85
Travel photography with Sony A500
71
weather proofing
features touch to focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery power (330 CIPA)
43
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
bad battery power (520 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic G85 Landscape photography advice
Sony A500 Landscape photography advice
73
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
no anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
terrible battery power (330 shots)
60
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
bad battery power (520 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic G85 Vlogging highlights
Sony A500 Vlogging highlights
78
screen is selfie friendly
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic port
9
no video
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Panasonic G85 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic G85 and Sony A500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Also Known as Lumix DMC-G80 -
Type Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2016-09-19 2009-08-27
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4592 x 3448 4272 x 2848
Highest native ISO 25600 12800
Highest boosted ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 49 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 107 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Highest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames per second 5.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.20 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC -
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD -
Mic 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 505 gr (1.11 lb) 630 gr (1.39 lb)
Dimensions 128 x 89 x 74mm (5.0" 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 71 64
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.5 11.6
DXO Low light rating 656 772
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 520 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, 10 secs x 3 shots) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $900 $638