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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV

Portability
81
Imaging
50
Features
57
Overall
52
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R IV front
Portability
62
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV Key Specs

Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Replacement is Panasonic GH2
Sony A7R IV
(Full Review)
  • 61MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Increase to 102800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 665g - 129 x 96 x 78mm
  • Announced July 2019
  • Superseded the Sony A7R III
  • Replacement is Sony A7R V
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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Panasonic GH1 versus Sony A7R IV, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a significant difference among the sensor resolutions of the GH1 (12MP) and A7R IV (61MP) and the GH1 (Four Thirds) and A7R IV (Full frame) have totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The GH1 was released 11 years earlier than the A7R IV and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a simple view of how the GH1 scores versus the A7R IV when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Sony A7R IV

 GH1 A7R IV 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A7R IV over the Panasonic GH1

 A7R IV GH1 
AnnouncedJuly 2019July 2009More recent by 121 months
Screen resolution1440k460kClearer screen (+980k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic GH1 and Sony A7R IV

 GH1 A7R IV 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH1 comes with exterior measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R IV has dimensions of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") along with a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic GH1 versus Sony A7R IV in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the GH1 vs the A7R IV.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the GH1 and A7R IV is 81 and 62 respectively.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very tough to see the difference in sensor measurements simply by researching specs. The graphic underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GH1 and A7R IV.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The GH1 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh more challenging and the Sony A7R IV will provide you with extra detail as a result of its extra 49MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older GH1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Portrait photography features
Sony A7R IV Portrait photography features
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
88
you can focus manually
excellent resolution (61MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Street photography details
Sony A7R IV Street photography details
72
screen articulates
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
79
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
supports focus via touch
environment proofing
great high ISO (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7R IV as a Sports photography camera
33
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
max fps low (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery power (320 CIPA)
lack of phase detect autofocus
90
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent resolution (61MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
better than average battery (670 per charge)
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Travel photography info
Sony A7R IV Travel photography info
58
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (320 shots)
low megapixels (12MP)
74
better than average battery (670 per charge)
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
supports focus via touch
excellent resolution (61MP)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic GH1
Landscape photography with Sony A7R IV
55
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery power (320 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
88
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent resolution (61 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
great high ISO (32,000)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
better than average battery (670 shots)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic GH1
Vlogging with Sony A7R IV
72
display is selfie friendly
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone socket
does not have image stabilization
37
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external mic support
display is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7R IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH1 and Sony A7R IV
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1Sony Alpha A7R IV
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Sony Alpha A7R IV
Class Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2009-07-10 2019-07-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine HD Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 18.89 x 14.48mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 273.5mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 61 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 9504 x 6336
Maximum native ISO 1600 32000
Maximum boosted ISO 3200 102800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 567
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 1.9 1
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 5,760k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.50 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync.
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format AVCHD MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 385g (0.85 pounds) 665g (1.47 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") 129 x 96 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 64 99
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 14.8
DXO Low light rating 772 3344
Other
Battery life 320 photos 670 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots Single 2
Cost at launch $949 $3,498