Panasonic GF2 vs Sony H55
88 Imaging
47 Features
50 Overall
48


92 Imaging
36 Features
28 Overall
32
Panasonic GF2 vs Sony H55 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 310g - 113 x 68 x 33mm
- Launched February 2011
- Earlier Model is Panasonic GF1
- Renewed by Panasonic GF3
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 200g - 103 x 58 x 29mm
- Revealed June 2010

Panasonic GF2 vs Sony H55 Overview
Following is a extended review of the Panasonic GF2 and Sony H55, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the GF2 (12MP) and the H55 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the GF2 (Four Thirds) and H55 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

The GF2 was brought out 9 months after the H55 so they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GF2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony H55 being a Compact camera.
Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the GF2 matches up against the H55 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Panasonic GF2 vs Sony H55 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic GF2 Gallery and Sony H55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic GF2 over the Sony H55
GF2 | H55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | February 2011 | ![]() | June 2010 | More modern by 9 months |
Focus manually | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Screen resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+230k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony H55 over the Panasonic GF2
H55 | GF2 |
---|
Common features in the Panasonic GF2 and Sony H55
GF2 | H55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same screen sizing |
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen |
Panasonic GF2 vs Sony H55 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF2 offers physical dimensions of 113mm x 68mm x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") and a weight of 310 grams (0.68 lbs) whilst the Sony H55 has dimensions of 103mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).
Take a look at the Panasonic GF2 and Sony H55 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the GF2 against the H55.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the GF2 and H55 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic GF2 vs Sony H55 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizes just by going through specifications. The picture below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the GF2 and H55.
To sum up, both of those cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The GF2 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony H55 will show greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The newer GF2 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic GF2 vs Sony H55 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GF2 vs Sony H55 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Panasonic | Sony |
Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Launched | 2011-02-24 | 2010-06-16 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | Venus Engine FHD | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4320 x 3240 |
Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | 23 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/3.5-5.5 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 5cm |
Total lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Display resolution | 460k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display technology | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shooting rate | 3.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 6.00 m | 3.80 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Slow Syncro, Off |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/160s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video file format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4 |
Mic 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 | 310 grams (0.68 pounds) | 200 grams (0.44 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 113 x 68 x 33mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.3") | 103 x 58 x 29mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 54 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.2 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.3 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 506 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 300 pictures | - |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | - | NP-BG1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/ portrait2) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, SD/SDHC, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $330 | $235 |