Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II
70 Imaging
51 Features
65 Overall
56


89 Imaging
50 Features
74 Overall
59
Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II 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
- Superseded the Panasonic GH1
- New Model is Panasonic GH3
(Full Review)
- 20MP - 1" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 160 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
- 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
- Released June 2013
- Older Model is Sony RX100
- Updated by Sony RX100 III

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II Overview
On this page, we will be reviewing the Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the GH2 (16MP) and the RX100 II (20MP) is pretty similar but the GH2 (Four Thirds) and RX100 II (1") boast totally different sensor sizes.

The GH2 was released 3 years earlier than the RX100 II and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GH2 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.
Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick view of how the GH2 matches up vs the RX100 II for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic GH2 Gallery and Sony RX100 II Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic GH2 over the Sony RX100 II
GH2 | RX100 II | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Tilting | Fully Articulating screen |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Panasonic GH2
RX100 II | GH2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | June 2013 | ![]() | March 2011 | Fresher by 27 months |
Screen resolution | 1229k | ![]() | 460k | Crisper screen (+769k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic GH2 and Sony RX100 II
GH2 | RX100 II | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial exact focusing | ||
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen dimensions |
Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison
If you are planning to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic GH2 comes with outside measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") and a weight of 442 grams (0.97 lbs) while the Sony RX100 II has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).
Check the Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the GH2 compared to the RX100 II.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the GH2 and RX100 II is 70 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison
Often, it is very difficult to see the gap between sensor sizing merely by going over technical specs. The photograph below might provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the GH2 and RX100 II.
As you can tell, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The GH2 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony RX100 II will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older GH2 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH2 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Panasonic | Sony |
Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II |
Class | Advanced Mirrorless | Large Sensor Compact |
Revealed | 2011-03-23 | 2013-06-27 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Large Sensor Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | Venus Engine FHD | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1" |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 13.2 x 8.8mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 116.2mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 20 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 5472 x 3648 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 12800 |
Max boosted ISO | - | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 160 | 160 |
RAW format | ||
Min boosted ISO | - | 100 |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Autofocus selectice | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Live view autofocus | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Number of focus points | 23 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 28-100mm (3.6x) |
Maximal aperture | - | f/1.8-4.9 |
Macro focus distance | - | 5cm |
Available lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 2.7 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
Screen size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of screen | 460k dot | 1,229k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Screen tech | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle | Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | Electronic (optional) |
Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.71x | - |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 3.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 15.60 m | 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W)) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/160 secs | 1/2000 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
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) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | AVCHD, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Microphone 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 grams (0.97 lbs) | 281 grams (0.62 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 124 x 90 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 3.0") | 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 60 | 67 |
DXO Color Depth score | 21.2 | 22.5 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.3 | 12.4 |
DXO Low light score | 655 | 483 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 330 photos | 350 photos |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NP-BX1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots)) |
Time lapse shooting | With downloadable app | |
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch cost | $1,000 | $598 |