Sony A7S vs Panasonic GM5

Sony A7S advantages over Panasonic GM5

• Larger sensor
  35mm vs 4/3
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 8.40 vs 3.77 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• NFC
  Yes vs No
  Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
• 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.

  A7S test data on DxO Mark GM5 test data on DxO Mark
  3,702 vs 721 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.

  A7S test data on DxO Mark GM5 test data on DxO Mark
  13.2 vs 11.7 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  380 vs 220 shots
  Capture more photos
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• Higher max flash sync
  1/250 vs 1/50 sec
  Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.71x vs 0.46x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Bigger RAW buffer
  39 vs 7 shots
  Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
• Slow-motion videos
  Yes vs No
  Shoot slow-motion videos
• Higher extended ISO
  409600 vs 25600 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility