Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S
81 Imaging
49 Features
57 Overall
52


77 Imaging
60 Features
73 Overall
65
Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600 (Expand to 3200)
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
- Launched July 2009
- Replacement is Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 409600
- 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
- Launched April 2014
- Newer Model is Sony A7S II

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S Overview
Below, we are looking at the Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the GH1 (12MP) and the A7S (12MP) is very comparable but the GH1 (Four Thirds) and A7S (Full frame) come with different sensor measurements.

The GH1 was unveiled 5 years prior to the A7S which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).
Before delving in to a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the GH1 grades versus the A7S when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 & Sony Alpha A7S. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic GH1 Gallery & Sony A7S Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Sony A7S
GH1 | A7S | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Panasonic GH1
A7S | GH1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | April 2014 | ![]() | July 2009 | More modern by 57 months |
Display resolution | 1230k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper display (+770k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic GH1 and Sony A7S
GH1 | A7S | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very accurate focus | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display measurements |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Missing Touch friendly display |
Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S Physical Comparison
If you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic GH1 provides external measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") along with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) whilst the Sony A7S has specifications of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") and a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs).
Take a look at the Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the GH1 vs the A7S.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH1 and A7S is 81 and 77 respectively.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it is very difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes merely by seeing a spec sheet. The image below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the GH1 and A7S.
Clearly, each of the cameras posses the exact same megapixels but different sensor sizes. The GH1 features the smaller sensor which should make obtaining bokeh tougher. The more aged GH1 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony A7S Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 | Sony Alpha A7S | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Panasonic | Sony |
Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 | Sony Alpha A7S |
Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Pro Mirrorless |
Launched | 2009-07-10 | 2014-04-06 |
Body design | 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 dimensions | 18.89 x 14.48mm | 35.8 x 23.9mm |
Sensor surface area | 273.5mm² | 855.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4240 x 2832 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 409600 |
Highest enhanced ISO | 3200 | - |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | - | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Amount of lenses | 107 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 1.9 | 1 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Screen diagonal | 3" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 460k dot | 1,230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 2,359k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.71x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/8000 seconds |
Continuous shutter speed | 3.0fps | 5.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 10.50 m | no built-in flash |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | no built-in flash |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/160 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
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, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 3840x2160 |
Video data format | AVCHD | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 385 grams (0.85 pounds) | 489 grams (1.08 pounds) |
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 Overall rating | 64 | 87 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.6 | 23.9 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 11.6 | 13.2 |
DXO Low light rating | 772 | 3702 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 320 images | 360 images |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) |
Time lapse recording | With downloadable app | |
Type of storage | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | One |
Price at release | $949 | $1,998 |