Panasonic GH1 vs Sony NEX-5R

Sony NEX-5R advantages over Panasonic GH1

• Less expensive
  $750 vs $1500 (MSRP)
  Save money for lenses or accessories
• 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.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 4.78 vs 3.98 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Touchscreen
  Touch vs No touch
  Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
• 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
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  NEX-5R test data on DxO Mark GH1 test data on DxO Mark
  910 vs 772 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  NEX-5R test data on DxO Mark GH1 test data on DxO Mark
  13.1 vs 11.6 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• On-sensor phase detect
  Yes vs No
  Usually improves live view and video AF performance
• More dots on screen
  922k vs 460k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• More pixels
  16.1 vs 12.1 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Faster JPEG shooting
  10.0 fps vs 2.5 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 3200 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility