Panasonic GM5 vs Sony a3500
91 Imaging
53 Features
62 Overall
56


69 Imaging
63 Features
54 Overall
59
Panasonic GM5 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
- 211g - 99 x 60 x 36mm
- Announced September 2014
- Replaced the Panasonic GM1
(Full Review)
- 20MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
- Launched March 2014
- Superseded the Sony A3000

Panasonic GM5 vs Sony a3500 Overview
The following is a thorough analysis of the Panasonic GM5 versus Sony a3500, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the GM5 (16MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is very comparable but the GM5 (Four Thirds) and a3500 (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.

The GM5 was brought out 6 months after the a3500 so they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic GM5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the GM5 matches up against the a3500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Panasonic GM5 vs Sony a3500 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 and Sony Alpha a3500. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic GM5 Gallery and Sony a3500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic GM5 over the Sony a3500
GM5 | a3500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+691k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Panasonic GM5
a3500 | GM5 |
---|
Common features in the Panasonic GM5 and Sony a3500
GM5 | a3500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | September 2014 | ![]() | March 2014 | Same generation |
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial accurate focusing | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal display size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen |
Panasonic GM5 vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera often, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic GM5 provides external dimensions of 99mm x 60mm x 36mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 211 grams (0.47 lbs) and the Sony a3500 has sizing of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).
Compare the Panasonic GM5 versus Sony a3500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the GM5 against the a3500.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the GM5 and a3500 is 91 and 69 respectively.

Panasonic GM5 vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it can be tough to envision the difference in sensor dimensions purely by seeing specs. The picture below will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the GM5 and a3500.
As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The GM5 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony a3500 will show more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a bit more aggressively.

Panasonic GM5 vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GM5 vs Sony a3500 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 | Sony Alpha a3500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Panasonic | Sony |
Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 | Sony Alpha a3500 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
Announced | 2014-09-15 | 2014-03-21 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | Venus Engine | 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 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 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW images | ||
Lowest enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Number of focus points | 23 | 25 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | Micro Four Thirds | Sony E |
Total lenses | 107 | 121 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 921 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen technology | - | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,166 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.46x | 0.47x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Max shutter speed | 1/500s | 1/4000s |
Max silent shutter speed | 1/16000s | - |
Continuous shutter rate | 5.8 frames/s | 4.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) |
Flash options | Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, on, on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, off | Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 50p, 50i, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p, 25p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p) | 1920 x 1080 |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | MPEG-4, AVCHD | AVCHD, H.264 |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 211g (0.47 lb) | 411g (0.91 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 99 x 60 x 36mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.4") | 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 | 22.1 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 11.7 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 721 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 220 photos | 470 photos |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | DMW-BLH7 | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec (3 images)) | Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | - |
Card slots | One | One |
Cost at release | $966 | $398 |