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Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500

Portability
66
Imaging
53
Features
88
Overall
67
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 Key Specs

Panasonic GH4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 560g - 133 x 93 x 84mm
  • Released February 2014
  • Older Model is Panasonic GH3
  • Successor is Panasonic GH5
Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Released March 2014
  • Replaced the Sony A3000
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Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Panasonic GH4 versus Sony a3500, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the GH4 (16MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is relatively comparable but the GH4 (Four Thirds) and a3500 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The GH4 was revealed very close to the a3500 which means that they are of a similar age. The two cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a short introduction of how the GH4 grades against the a3500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GH4 over the Sony a3500

 GH4 a3500 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1036k230kSharper screen (+806k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Panasonic GH4

 a3500 GH4 

Common features in the Panasonic GH4 and Sony a3500

 GH4 a3500 
ReleasedFebruary 2014March 2014Same age
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic GH4 has external measurements of 133mm x 93mm x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") and a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs) and the Sony a3500 has specifications of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic GH4 versus Sony a3500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the GH4 compared to the a3500.

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GH4 and a3500 is 66 and 69 respectively.

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's hard to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions just by seeing a spec sheet. The image underneath may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the GH4 and a3500.

As you can see, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The GH4 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Sony a3500 will show greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively.

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Portrait photography info
Sony a3500 Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW files
77
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic GH4
Street photography with Sony a3500
71
screen articulates fully
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
offers touch focus
weather proofing
lighter than competition (560 grams)
good high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
57
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition (411g)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Panasonic GH4 as a Sports photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Sports photography camera
62
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
60
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
better than average battery life (470 per charge)
max fps very slow (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Travel photography info
Sony a3500 Travel photography info
77
lighter than competition (560g)
weather proofing
offers touch focus
good MP (16MP)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
60
better than average battery life (470 CIPA)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
heavier than competition (411 grams)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GH4 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Landscape photography camera
72
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
70
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
better than average battery life (470 shots)
does not have image stabilization
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GH4 Vlogging features
Sony a3500 Vlogging features
71
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
includes face detect focus
great video quality (4096 x 2160 pxls)
includes mic jack
lighter than competition (560 grams)
does not have image stabilization
26
offers face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
missing mic jack
heavier than competition (411 grams)
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Panasonic GH4 vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GH4 and Sony a3500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4Sony Alpha a3500
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 Sony Alpha a3500
Type Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2014-02-07 2014-03-21
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Venus Engine IX BIONZ image
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 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 5456 x 3632
Max native ISO 25600 16000
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 49 25
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Available lenses 107 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,036 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology OLED TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,359 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.67x 0.47x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 12.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 17.00 m (at ISO 200) 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash modes Auto, auto/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync/redeye reduction, forced off Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 (24p), 3840 x 2160 (24p, 25p, 30p), 1920 x 1080 (24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p), 1280 x 720 (24p, 25p, 30p), 640 x 480 (25p, 30p) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 560 grams (1.23 lb) 411 grams (0.91 lb)
Dimensions 133 x 93 x 84mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 3.3") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.2 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.8 not tested
DXO Low light rating 791 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 pictures 470 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DMW-BLF19 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs (single or three-shot)) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $1,500 $398