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Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II

Portability
70
Imaging
51
Features
65
Overall
56
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 Mark II front
Portability
62
Imaging
76
Features
93
Overall
82

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II Key Specs

Panasonic GH2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 442g - 124 x 90 x 76mm
  • Launched March 2011
  • Superseded the Panasonic GH1
  • Successor is Panasonic GH3
Sony A9 II
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 678g - 129 x 96 x 76mm
  • Revealed October 2019
  • Superseded the Sony A9
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Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II Overview

Let's look more closely at the Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the GH2 (16MP) and A9 II (24MP) and the GH2 (Four Thirds) and A9 II (Full frame) provide different sensor sizes.

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The GH2 was introduced 9 years prior to the A9 II which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have the same body design (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summary of how the GH2 matches up versus the A9 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Sony A9 II

 GH2 A9 II 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A9 II over the Panasonic GH2

 A9 II GH2 
RevealedOctober 2019March 2011More modern by 103 months
Screen resolution1440k460kCrisper screen (+980k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic GH2 and Sony A9 II

 GH2 A9 II 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic GH2 provides external dimensions of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") with a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs) while the Sony A9 II has specifications of 129mm x 96mm x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the GH2 and the A9 II.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the GH2 and A9 II is 70 and 62 respectively.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizes only by seeing specs. The image below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH2 and A9 II.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The GH2 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A9 II will provide extra detail using its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged GH2 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic GH2
Portrait photography with Sony A9 II
70
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW files
85
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GH2 as a Street photography camera
Sony A9 II as a Street photography camera
68
screen articulates
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
78
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
boasts focus by touch
weather proofing
very good ISO range (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH2 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A9 II as a Sports photography camera
46
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery pack (330 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
88
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
high frames per second (20.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
good battery power (690 shots)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH2 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A9 II as a Travel photography camera
62
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (330 per charge)
73
good battery power (690 CIPA)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
boasts focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Landscape photography information
Sony A9 II Landscape photography information
60
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
bad battery pack (330 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
86
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
very good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
good battery power (690 shots)
has double storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH2 Vlogging advice
Sony A9 II Vlogging advice
71
display is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have external microphone support
lack of image stabilization
36
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes mic port
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A9 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH2 and Sony A9 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Sony Alpha A9 Mark II
Category Advanced Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2011-03-23 2019-10-03
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine FHD BIONZ X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 12800 51200
Highest boosted ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 160 100
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 23 693
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Total lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 15.60 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 secs -
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 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 442 grams (0.97 lb) 678 grams (1.49 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") 129 x 96 x 76mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 60 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 655 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs 690 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous, 3 or 5 frames)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots One 2
Cost at launch $1,000 $4,498