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Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S

Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
 
Sony Alpha A7S front
Portability
77
Imaging
60
Features
73
Overall
65

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S Key Specs

Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Launched March 2011
  • Old Model is Panasonic GH1
  • Updated by Panasonic GH3
Sony A7S
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Announced April 2014
  • Updated by Sony A7S II
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Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Panasonic GH2 versus Sony A7S, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the GH2 (16MP) and A7S (12MP) and the GH2 (Four Thirds) and A7S (Full frame) boast different sensor measurements.

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The GH2 was revealed 4 years earlier than the A7S and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the GH2 grades against the A7S in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Sony A7S

 GH2 A7S 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Panasonic GH2

 A7S GH2 
AnnouncedApril 2014March 2011Fresher by 37 months
Screen resolution1230k460kCrisper screen (+770k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH2 and Sony A7S

 GH2 A7S 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GH2 enjoys outer dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") having a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs) whilst the Sony A7S has measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") having a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic GH2 versus Sony A7S in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the GH2 against the A7S.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH2 and A7S is 70 and 77 respectively.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing simply by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH2 and A7S.

Clearly, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The GH2 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Panasonic GH2 will show greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older GH2 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic GH2
Portrait photography with Sony A7S
70
manual focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
saves RAW files
68
you can focus manually
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Street photography information
Sony A7S Street photography information
68
screen articulates fully
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
lighter than competition in class (489 grams)
very good ISO range (409,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Sports photography info
Sony A7S Sports photography info
46
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
low fps (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (330 CIPA)
no phase detect AF
52
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports tracking focus
environment proofing
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery power (360 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Travel photography info
Sony A7S Travel photography info
62
decent MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse mode
bad battery (330 CIPA)
58
lighter than competition in class (489g)
environment proofing
bad battery power (360 CIPA)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH2 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A7S as a Landscape photography camera
60
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
bad battery (330 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
66
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
good sized screen (3")
sensor size is great (Full frame)
very good ISO range (409,600)
exports RAW files
environment proofing
no image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
bad battery power (360 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH2 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7S as a Vlogging camera
71
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
comes with face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic port
lack of image stabilization
34
supports face detect autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has mic port
lighter than competition in class (489g)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
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Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A7S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH2 and Sony A7S
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2Sony Alpha A7S
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Sony Alpha A7S
Type Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2011-03-23 2014-04-06
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine FHD Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4240 x 2832
Maximum native ISO 12800 409600
Minimum native ISO 160 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 23 25
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 1,230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.71x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 15.60 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps) 3840 x 2160, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 442 gr (0.97 lb) 489 gr (1.08 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 60 87
DXO Color Depth score 21.2 23.9
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 13.2
DXO Low light score 655 3702
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 360 pictures
Type of battery 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 feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $1,000 $1,998