Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A6500
70 Imaging
51 Features
65 Overall
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81 Imaging
67 Features
85 Overall
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Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A6500 Key Specs
(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
- Revealed March 2011
- Succeeded the Panasonic GH1
- Later Model is Panasonic GH3
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600 (Expand to 51200)
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
- Introduced October 2016
- Superseded the Sony A6300

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A6500 Overview
Here, we will be analyzing the Panasonic GH2 and Sony A6500, both Advanced Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the GH2 (16MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the GH2 (Four Thirds) and A6500 (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.

The GH2 was manufactured 6 years earlier than the A6500 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.
Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple overview of how the GH2 matches up vs the A6500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A6500 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 & Sony Alpha a6500. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic GH2 Gallery & Sony A6500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Sony A6500
GH2 | A6500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Panasonic GH2
A6500 | GH2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | October 2016 | ![]() | March 2011 | More recent by 67 months |
Screen resolution | 922k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper screen (+462k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic GH2 and Sony A6500
GH2 | A6500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very precise focusing | ||
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same screen size |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison
When you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic GH2 offers physical 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 A6500 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).
Analyze the Panasonic GH2 and Sony A6500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using during that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the GH2 compared to the A6500.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the GH2 and A6500 is 70 and 81 respectively.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it can be tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The visual below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the GH2 and A6500.
As you can see, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GH2 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A6500 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures way more aggressively. The older GH2 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony A6500 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 | Sony Alpha a6500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Panasonic | Sony |
Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 | Sony Alpha a6500 |
Type | Advanced Mirrorless | Advanced Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2011-03-23 | 2016-10-06 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Venus Engine FHD | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 24 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 6000 x 4000 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 25600 |
Max enhanced ISO | - | 51200 |
Minimum native ISO | 160 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 23 | 425 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Number of lenses | 107 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Screen size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Screen resolution | 460k dot | 922k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Screen tech | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 2,359k dot |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.71x | 0.7x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Fastest silent shutter speed | - | 1/32000 secs |
Continuous shutter speed | 3.0 frames/s | 11.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 15.60 m | 6.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless |
External flash | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Fastest flash sync | 1/160 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
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 |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 3840x2160 |
Video format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S |
Microphone input | ||
Headphone input | ||
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 | 442 grams (0.97 lb) | 453 grams (1.00 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") | 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | 60 | 85 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.2 | 24.5 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 11.3 | 13.7 |
DXO Low light rating | 655 | 1405 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 images | 350 images |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes |
Time lapse shooting | With downloadable app | |
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Launch cost | $1,000 | $1,298 |