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

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Differences

Panasonic GF2 advantages over Sony A7 II

  • Lens selection
    Excellent vs Good
    Better lens selection gives you more options
  • Fast startup
    ~1.00 vs 1.7 sec
    Faster startup lets you catch the moment
  • Internal flash
    Internal flash vs None
    Useful in a pinch for fill flash
  • Thinner
    32 mm vs 59 mm
    Thinner
  • Lighter weight
    367g vs 930g
    Lighter weight
  • Longer exposure
    60 vs 30 sec
    Long exposures for night shots
  • Bigger JPEG buffer
    Unlimited vs 52 shots
    Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)

Sony A7 II advantages over Panasonic GF2

  • 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.
  • Eye-level viewfinder
    Eye-level vs Rear display only
    You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
    Yes vs No
    Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
  • 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
    24.9 vs 21.2 bits
    Capture richer, more accurate colors
  • Higher effective ISO
    2,449 vs 506 iso
    Take photos in low light with less noise
  • More dynamic range
    13.6 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
  • More telephoto lens reach
    70 mm vs 28 mm
    Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
  • 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
    1229k 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
    0.22 vs 0.34 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
  • Bulb shutter
    Bulb vs No bulb
    Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures
  • Faster JPEG shooting
    5.0 fps vs 2.6 fps
    Faster JPEG shooting (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

  • 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

Common Weaknesses

  • 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

Buy From

Review Excerpt

  • Excellent 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization; Sensor-shift IS brings stabilization to nearly any lens; Much-improved ergonomics and top-deck control layout; 'Mark II' maintains same impressive image quality, dynamic range and high ISO performance; XAVC S 50Mbps video format; Faster start-up time; Hybrid AF performs well with good continuous AF.

  • (Similar to A7): Loud shutter (but electronic first-curtain helps); Battery life could be better; Low-light AF still not as good as most DSLRs; High ISO JPEGs look over-processed; Slow buffer clearing; Limited selection of native Sony FE lenses (but it's getting better).

The Competition

Compared to Panasonic GF3

Panasonic GF2
Panasonic GF3
  • $617
  • 4/3
  • Tiltable Screen
  • Fast startup
  • $675
  • 4/3
  • Touchscreen
  • Faster JPEG shooting
Sony A7 II
Panasonic GF3
  • $1148
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
  • $675
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Touchscreen

Compared to Panasonic GF3X

Panasonic GF2
Panasonic GF3X
  • $617
  • 4/3
  • Tiltable Screen
  • Higher effective ISO
  • $750
  • 4/3
  • Touchscreen
  • More telephoto lens reach
Sony A7 II
Panasonic GF3X
  • $1148
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
  • $750
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Touchscreen

Compared to Panasonic GF5

Panasonic GF2
Panasonic GF5
  • $617
  • 4/3
  • Tiltable Screen
  • Fast startup
  • $450
  • 4/3
  • Touchscreen
  • Higher effective ISO
Sony A7 II
Panasonic GF5
  • $1148
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
  • $450
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Less expensive

Compared to Sony A7

Panasonic GF2
Sony A7
  • $617
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup
  • $748
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
Sony A7 II
Sony A7
  • $1148
  • 35mm
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • $748
  • 35mm
  • Less expensive

Compared to Sony A7 III

Panasonic GF2
Sony A7 III
  • $617
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup
  • $1865
  • 35mm
  • Focus peaking
  • Larger sensor
Sony A7 II
Sony A7 III
  • $1148
  • 35mm
  • Less expensive
  • In-camera panoramas
  • $1865
  • 35mm
  • Shoot 4K video
  • Touchscreen
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