Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500
93 Imaging
52 Features
60 Overall
55


69 Imaging
63 Features
54 Overall
59
Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 204g - 99 x 55 x 30mm
- Revealed December 2013
- Replacement is Panasonic GM5
(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
- Superseded the Sony A3000

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500 Overview
Below, we will be looking at the Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the GM1 (16MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is pretty well matched but the GM1 (Four Thirds) and a3500 (APS-C) come with different sensor size.

The GM1 was released 3 months before the a3500 which means that they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting through a full comparison, below is a brief view of how the GM1 scores versus the a3500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 & Sony Alpha a3500. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic GM1 Gallery & Sony a3500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic GM1 over the Sony a3500
GM1 | a3500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen resolution | 1036k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper screen (+806k dot) |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Panasonic GM1
a3500 | GM1 |
---|
Common features in the Panasonic GM1 and Sony a3500
GM1 | a3500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | December 2013 | ![]() | March 2014 | Similar age |
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical screen size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither offers selfie screen |
Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison
In case you're planning to travel with your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and size. The Panasonic GM1 offers physical dimensions of 99mm x 55mm x 30mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") along with a weight of 204 grams (0.45 lbs) while 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).
Analyze the Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the GM1 versus the a3500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GM1 and a3500 is 93 and 69 respectively.

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it can be difficult to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions only by checking specs. The image below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the GM1 and a3500.
As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The GM1 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Sony a3500 will give extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively.

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GM1 vs Sony a3500 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 | Sony Alpha a3500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Panasonic | Sony |
Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 | Sony Alpha a3500 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2013-12-19 | 2014-03-21 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | BIONZ image |
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 | 20 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4592 x 3448 | 5456 x 3632 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 16000 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Number of focus points | 23 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Amount of lenses | 107 | 121 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 1,036k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Screen tech | TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.47x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/500 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Fastest silent shutter speed | 1/16000 secs | - |
Continuous shutter rate | 5.0 frames/s | 4.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 4.00 m | 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync | Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/50 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 24p), 1280 x 720p (60p, 50p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) | 1920 x 1080 |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | MPEG-4, AVCHD | AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 204 gr (0.45 lbs) | 411 gr (0.91 lbs) |
Dimensions | 99 x 55 x 30mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") | 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 66 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 22.3 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.7 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 660 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 230 photographs | 470 photographs |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | - | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) | Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | - |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Cost at release | $750 | $398 |