• 4/3 224.9mm2
  • 12.1 megapixels
  • ISO 160 - 6400
  • APS-C 366.6mm2
  • 24.3 megapixels
  • ISO 100 - 25,600

Buy From

Differences

Panasonic GF5 advantages over Sony A77 II

  • Lens selection
    Excellent vs Good
    Better lens selection gives you more options
  • Touchscreen
    Touch vs No touch
    Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
  • Thinner
    36 mm vs 80 mm
    Thinner
  • Lighter weight
    364g vs 1351g
    Lighter weight
  • Longer exposure
    60 vs 30 sec
    Long exposures for night shots

Sony A77 II advantages over Panasonic GF5

  • Tilt-swivel screen
    Tilt-swivel vs none
    Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
  • Focus peaking
    Peaker vs Non-peaker
    Your camera will highlight what's in focus
  • Larger sensor
    APS-C 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
  • In-camera panoramas
    Yes vs No
    Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
  • Fast startup
    ~0.80 vs 1.4 sec
    Faster startup lets you catch the moment
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
    Wi-Fi vs None
    Share your photos wirelessly
  • NFC
    Yes vs No
    Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
  • Longer stills battery life
    More info 480 vs 330 shots
    Capture more photos
  • Top deck display
    Yes vs No
    Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
  • 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
  • Hot shoe
    Hot shoe vs None
    Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
  • More pixels
    24.3 vs 12.1 megapixels
    Higher resolution photos
  • Wider angle kit lens
    24 mm vs 28 mm
    Capture more of the scene with the included lens
  • Bulb shutter
    Bulb vs No bulb
    Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures
  • Faster JPEG shooting
    11.5 fps vs 4.0 fps
    Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
  • Bigger JPEG buffer
    26 vs 5 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 12800 ISO
    Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

  • Internal flash
    Both provide
    Useful in a pinch for fill flash
  • HDMI out
    Both provide
    Use HDMI output to monitor or review video

Common Weaknesses

  • Built-in Bluetooth
    Neither provide
    Always-on wireless connectivity
  • Built-in GPS
    Neither provide
    Geotag your photos
  • On-sensor phase detect
    Neither provide
    Usually improves live view and video AF performance
  • Dual card slots
    Neither provide
    Gives you more storage flexibility
  • Headphone jack
    Neither provide
    Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
  • Slow-motion videos
    Neither provide
    Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

Buy From

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Panasonic GF5

Review Excerpt

  • Small body pairs nicely with compact, retractable Power Zoom lens. Extremely fast autofocus. Worthwhile improvements in image quality. Touchscreen overlays can now be hidden.

  • LCD panel is prone to fingerprint smudges. Weak flash, and no hot shoe. Modest burst performance, and very limited buffer for raw shooting. Noise levels and dynamic range still lag competition.

  • Excellent image quality, especially lower ISOs; Improved high ISO performance when using RAW; Very good dynamic range; High-resolution images; Very fast single-shot autofocus; 12fps burst mode with C-AF; Good value for its class.

  • Lackluster continuous AF performance; Strong NR processing in high ISO JPEGs; Sluggish buffer clearing; Short battery life compared to most DSLRs; Joystick control easy to press accidentally.

The Competition

Compared to Olympus E-PL3

Panasonic GF5
Olympus E-PL3
  • $450
  • 4/3
  • Touchscreen
  • Fast startup
  • $700
  • 4/3
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • Tiltable Screen
Sony A77 II
Olympus E-PL3
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Focus peaking
  • $700
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Thinner

Compared to Olympus E-PM1

Panasonic GF5
Olympus E-PM1
  • $450
  • 4/3
  • Touchscreen
  • Higher effective ISO
  • $500
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
Sony A77 II
Olympus E-PM1
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Focus peaking
  • $500
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Thinner

Compared to Panasonic GF3X

Panasonic GF5
Panasonic GF3X
  • $450
  • 4/3
  • Higher effective ISO
  • More dynamic range
  • $750
  • 4/3
Sony A77 II
Panasonic GF3X
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Focus peaking
  • $750
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Touchscreen

Compared to Canon 70D

Panasonic GF5
Canon 70D
  • $450
  • 4/3
  • Thinner
  • Lighter weight
  • $1149
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Larger sensor
Sony A77 II
Canon 70D
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Focus peaking
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • $1149
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Less expensive

Compared to Nikon D7200

Panasonic GF5
Nikon D7200
  • $450
  • 4/3
  • Touchscreen
  • Thinner
  • $1016
  • APS-C
  • Larger sensor
  • Eye-level viewfinder
Sony A77 II
Nikon D7200
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Focus peaking
  • $1016
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup
Compare Other Cameras?