Panasonic GF5 vs Sony WX500

On this page, we are evaluating the Panasonic GF5 and Sony WX500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the GF5 (12MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the GF5 (Four Thirds) and WX500 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The GF5 was launched 4 years before the WX500 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GF5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a quick summation of how the GF5 scores versus the WX500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic GF5 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GF5 enjoys outer measurements of 108mm x 67mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 267 grams (0.59 lbs) whilst the Sony WX500 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic GF5 and Sony WX500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the GF5 compared to the WX500.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the GF5 and WX500 is 89 and 91 respectively.

Usually, its hard to see the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at technical specs. The visual here might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GF5 and WX500.

As you have seen, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GF5 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony WX500 will give you more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older GF5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.