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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6

Portability
81
Imaging
49
Features
57
Overall
52
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-6 front
Portability
85
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 Key Specs

Panasonic GH1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 3200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 385g - 124 x 90 x 45mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Refreshed by Panasonic GH2
Sony NEX-6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 345g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Revealed March 2013
  • New Model is Sony A6000
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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 Overview

Following is a extended comparison of the Panasonic GH1 versus Sony NEX-6, both Advanced Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the GH1 (12MP) and NEX-6 (16MP) and the GH1 (Four Thirds) and NEX-6 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The GH1 was introduced 4 years earlier than the NEX-6 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony NEX-6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the GH1 scores against the NEX-6 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH1 over the Sony NEX-6

 GH1 NEX-6 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-6 over the Panasonic GH1

 NEX-6 GH1 
RevealedMarch 2013July 2009More modern by 45 months
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH1 and Sony NEX-6

 GH1 NEX-6 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic GH1 has exterior measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") with a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs) and the Sony NEX-6 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GH1 versus Sony NEX-6 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the GH1 compared to the NEX-6.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH1 and NEX-6 is 81 and 85 respectively.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizes only by reading through a spec sheet. The pic below will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the GH1 and NEX-6.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The GH1 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony NEX-6 will resolve more detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images much more aggressively. The more aged GH1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Portrait photography camera
59
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
MP count low (12MP)
74
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Street photography advice
Sony NEX-6 Street photography advice
72
screen articulates
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
78
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (345 grams)
above average ISO range (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic GH1
Sports photography with Sony NEX-6
32
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
not so great battery power (320 CIPA)
lacks phase detect AF
66
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Travel photography advice
Sony NEX-6 Travel photography advice
58
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery power (320 per charge)
MP count low (12MP)
75
lighter than competitors in class (345 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony NEX-6 Landscape photography highlights
55
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
not so great battery power (320 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
75
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH1 Vlogging info
Sony NEX-6 Vlogging info
72
screen is selfie friendly
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic jack
does not have image stabilization
32
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (345 grams)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
lack of external microphone socket
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Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH1 and Sony NEX-6
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1Sony Alpha NEX-6
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Sony Alpha NEX-6
Category Advanced Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2009-07-10 2013-03-25
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine HD Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 18.89 x 14.48mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 273.5mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 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 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Highest enhanced ISO 3200 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 99
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of lenses 107 121
Crop factor 1.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - Xtra Fine LCD with Tilt Up 90� and Down 45�
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.50 m 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported 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 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone port
Headphone port
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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 385 grams (0.85 lbs) 345 grams (0.76 lbs)
Dimensions 124 x 90 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 64 78
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 13.1
DXO Low light rating 772 1018
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 360 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $949 $365