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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7

Portability
81
Imaging
49
Features
57
Overall
52
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 front
Portability
78
Imaging
70
Features
80
Overall
74

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 Key Specs

Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Raise to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH2
Sony A7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Launched January 2014
  • Successor is Sony A7 II
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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Panasonic GH1 versus Sony A7, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the GH1 (12MP) and A7 (24MP) and the GH1 (Four Thirds) and A7 (Full frame) use different sensor sizing.

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The GH1 was unveiled 5 years before the A7 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a short summation of how the GH1 matches up versus the A7 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Sony A7

 GH1 A7 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Panasonic GH1

 A7 GH1 
LaunchedJanuary 2014July 2009More recent by 55 months
Display resolution1230k460kCrisper display (+770k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH1 and Sony A7

 GH1 A7 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH1 has outside measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) whilst the Sony A7 has dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic GH1 versus Sony A7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the GH1 vs the A7.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the GH1 and A7 is 81 and 78 respectively.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements simply by researching technical specs. The visual below will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the GH1 and A7.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GH1 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh tougher and the Sony A7 will result in extra detail having an extra 12MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics much more aggressively. The older GH1 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7 as a Portrait photography camera
59
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
82
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Street photography factors
Sony A7 Street photography factors
72
fully articulated screen
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have image stabilization
79
has a tilting screen
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
lighter than others in class (474 grams)
great high ISO (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GH1
Sports photography with Sony A7
32
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
low battery (320 per charge)
lack of phase detect AF
66
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
slow fps (5.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (340 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Travel photography features
Sony A7 Travel photography features
58
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
low battery (320 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
69
lighter than others in class (474g)
environment proofing
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
not so great battery power (340 shots)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Landscape photography features
Sony A7 Landscape photography features
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
low battery (320 per charge)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
75
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (340 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Vlogging details
Sony A7 Vlogging details
72
display is selfie friendly
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has mic jack
does not have image stabilization
35
comes with face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone support
lighter than others in class (474 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH1 and Sony A7
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1Sony Alpha A7
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Sony Alpha A7
Class Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2009-07-10 2014-01-22
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine HD Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor measurements 18.89 x 14.48mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor surface area 273.5mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 3200 -
Min native ISO 100 50
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 117
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 1.9 1
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.50 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 385g (0.85 lbs) 474g (1.04 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 64 90
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 24.8
DXO Dynamic range score 11.6 14.2
DXO Low light score 772 2248
Other
Battery life 320 images 340 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch cost $949 $798