• 4/3 224.9mm2
  • 12.1 megapixels
  •  
  • 35mm 855.6mm2
  • 24.3 megapixels
  • ISO 100 - 25,600

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Differences

Panasonic G2 advantages over Sony A7

  • Lens selection
    Excellent vs Good
    Better lens selection gives you more options
  • Fast startup
    ~1.00 vs 2.1 sec
    Faster startup lets you catch the moment
  • More telephoto lens reach
    84 mm vs 70 mm
    Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
  • Internal flash
    Internal flash vs None
    Useful in a pinch for fill flash
  • Longer exposure
    60 vs 30 sec
    Long exposures for night shots

Sony A7 advantages over Panasonic G2

  • Focus peaking
    Peaker vs Non-peaker
    Your camera will highlight what's in focus
  • Larger sensor
    35mm vs 4/3
    More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
  • Bigger pixels
    ~ 5.97 vs 4.33 microns
    Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
  • In-camera panoramas
    Yes vs No
    Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
    Wi-Fi vs None
    Share your photos wirelessly
  • NFC
    Yes vs No
    Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
  • Better color depth
    24.8 vs 21.1 bits
    Capture richer, more accurate colors
  • Higher effective ISO
    2,248 vs 493 iso
    Take photos in low light with less noise
  • More dynamic range
    14.2 vs 10.3 evs
    Retain detail in highlight and shadows
  • On-sensor phase detect
    Yes vs No
    Usually improves live view and video AF performance
  • Thinner
    48 mm vs 74 mm
    Thinner
  • External Mic Jack
    Jack vs No jack
    Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
  • Higher max flash sync
    1/250 vs 1/160 sec
    Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
  • Shoots 24p video
    Yes vs No
    Gives your movies a big-screen feel
  • More dots on screen
    922k vs 460k dots
    Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
  • Shoots 1080p video
    Yes vs No
    You'll want this if you shoot video
  • Less shutter lag
    0.23 vs 0.42 sec
    Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
  • More pixels
    24.3 vs 12.1 megapixels
    Higher resolution photos
  • Headphone jack
    Yes vs No
    Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
  • Faster JPEG shooting
    5.0 fps vs 3.3 fps
    Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
  • Bigger JPEG buffer
    50 vs 9 shots
    Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
  • Faster shutter
    1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
    Shoot wide open in bright light
  • Higher extended ISO
    51200 vs 6400 ISO
    Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

  • Eye-level viewfinder
    Both provide
    You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
  • Tiltable Screen
    Both provide
    Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
  • HDMI out
    Both provide
    Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
  • Hot shoe
    Both provide
    Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
  • Bulb shutter
    Both provide
    Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
    Neither provide
    Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
  • Touchscreen
    Neither provide
    Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
  • Built-in Bluetooth
    Neither provide
    Always-on wireless connectivity
  • Built-in GPS
    Neither provide
    Geotag your photos
  • Top deck display
    Neither provide
    Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
  • Dual card slots
    Neither provide
    Gives you more storage flexibility
  • Slow-motion videos
    Neither provide
    Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

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Your purchases support this site

Review Excerpt

  • Incredibly small body for a fully-featured, full-frame camera; Very high resolution; Hybrid autofocus is reasonably fast and confident; Significantly better burst-shooting performance than A7R; Excellent image quality even at very high sensitivities; Faster x-sync than A7R; Accepts existing Alpha-mount and E-mount lenses, and can optionally crop to APS-C image circle.

  • Grass-is-greener syndrome when compared to its higher-res sibling; Moderate performance; Loud shutter (but electronic first-curtain helps); Mediocre battery life when using electronic viewfinder; Weak low-light autofocus considering its price; Limited selection of native Sony FE lenses.

The Competition

Compared to Sony A7R

Panasonic G2
Sony A7R
  • $800
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup
  • $1399
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
Sony A7
Sony A7R
  • $748
  • 35mm
  • Less expensive
  • Bigger pixels
  • $1399
  • 35mm
  • Higher effective ISO
  • More pixels

Compared to Panasonic G10

Panasonic G2
Panasonic G10
  • $800
  • 4/3
  • Tiltable Screen
  • Higher effective ISO
  • $600
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
Sony A7
Panasonic G10
  • $748
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
  • $600
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • More telephoto lens reach

Compared to Panasonic G5

Panasonic G2
Panasonic G5
  • $800
  • 4/3
  • Bigger pixels
  • Fast startup
  • $500
  • 4/3
  • Touchscreen
  • More dots on screen
Sony A7
Panasonic G5
  • $748
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
  • $500
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Less expensive

Compared to Panasonic GH3

Panasonic G2
Panasonic GH3
  • $800
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • Bigger pixels
  • $798
  • 4/3
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Touchscreen
Sony A7
Panasonic GH3
  • $748
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
  • $798
  • 4/3
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Lens selection

Compared to Sony A7 II

Panasonic G2
Sony A7 II
  • $800
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup
  • $1148
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
Sony A7
Sony A7 II
  • $748
  • 35mm
  • Less expensive
  • $1148
  • 35mm
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
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