We need your support: Please SUBSCRIBE to our
NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL
and help us create more content!

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A7 Comparison

Camera to replace

Change

Panasonic G9

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

CHECK PRICE

Change

Sony A7

24 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

CHECK PRICE

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A7 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing G9 and A7, two Mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Sony. Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 is a Advanced Mirrorless class camera and Sony Alpha 7 is a Pro Mirrorless class camera.

Panasonic G9 was introduced to the market in November 2017 and Sony A7 was launched in January 2014. As you can see, A7 is 3 years older than G9. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Panasonic G9 and Sony A7 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic G9 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2017-11-08

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100)

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3.00" Fully Articulated Screen

3680k dot Electronic viewfinder

20.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

180fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm

Weather-sealed Body

Sony A7 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-01-22

24MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 50 - 25600

Sony E Mount

3.00" Tilting Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

5.0fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

474g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm

Weather-sealed Body

Sony A7 was replaced by Sony Alpha A7 II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7 II vs Sony Alpha A7
Sony Alpha A7 II vs Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Panasonic G9 and Sony A7 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Related Blog Posts

Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 G PZ Lens Hands-on Video Review
Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 Sports vs Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM II vs Panasonic S 70-200 F2.8 Size And Feature Comparison
Sigma Releases the Long-waited 70-200mm DG DN OS Sports Lens for Sony E and Leica L Mount
Sony FE 200-600mm and E 70-350mm Lenses are on Sale!
Sony A1 and A7S III Finally Getting the Focus Breathing Compensation
Official: Sony Alpha A9 III with Global Shutter, Pre-Shooting Buffer and 120fps Shooting!
Sony FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Officially Released
Live: Sony A9 III and FE 300mm F2.8 GM Announcement

**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Panasonic G9

See at AMAZON

Sony A7

See at AMAZON

Panasonic G9

See at AMAZON

Sony A7

See at AMAZON

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Sony Alpha 7

In-built Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnif.	0.83x vs 0.71x	Larger Viewfinder
Number of Focus Points	225 vs 117	108 more focus points
Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 5.0fps	15 fps faster
Battery Life	400 shots vs 340 shots	60 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs With optional app	creative shooting
Viewfinder Resolution	3680k dot vs 2359k dot	55% higher resolution
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Full-size HDMI Port	Yes vs No	Use standard HDMI cables without adapters
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (80.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
6K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 18MP photos from Video footage
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs No	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode	Yes vs No	Change focus point after taking a shot
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs none	Read/Write in High Speeds
USB Version	USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) vs USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)	Faster Data transfer from the camera
Animal Eye AF Tracking	Yes vs No	Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam

CHECK G9 PRICE

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha 7 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Sensor Resolution	24 MP vs 20 MP	19% more pixels
LCD Resolution	1.230k dots vs 1.040k dots	18% higher resolution screen
Weight	474 g vs 658 g	184 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area	35.65µm2 vs 11.16µm2	219% larger pixel area
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices

CHECK A7 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Sony Alpha 7

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
Adjustable LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Tilting	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	20 MP vs 24 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 1.230k dots	High resolution screens
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs Yes	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs Yes	shoot at tough conditions
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Dual-axis Electronic Level	Yes vs Yes	Level the camera easily in two axis
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs Yes	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Sony Alpha 7

Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A7: Physical Specs and Body Features Comparison

Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, we are going to illustrate the Panasonic G9 and Sony A7 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic G9 has external dimensions of 137 x 97 x 92 mm (5.39 x 3.82 x 3.62″) and weighs 658 g (1.45 lb / 23.21 oz) (including batteries). Sony A7 has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 474 g (1.04 lb / 16.72 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Panasonic G9 and the Sony A7. Sony A7 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 10mm narrower, 3mm shorter and 44mm thinner than Panasonic G9.

Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Sony A7 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of the Panasonic G9 and Sony A7.

Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Sony A7 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony A7.

Top View Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Sony A7 Size

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7 is significantly lighter (184g ) than the Panasonic G9 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you also have to take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7 has a Full frame sensor and Panasonic G9 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Panasonic G9's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Both the G9 and the A7 have weather sealings in their bodies, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9 and Sony A7's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.

Sony A7 features a Tilting-only screen which is mostly only good for shooting from waist or over-the-head levels. On the other hand, Panasonic G9 sports a Fully Articulated screen which is more flexible and useful, especially for taking selfies and video.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A7: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony A7 has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic G9's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and A7 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony A7 Cameras

As seen above, Sony A7 has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Panasonic G9. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A7 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

The number of available lenses is a big deciding factor when choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that the Sony A7 has an advantage over the Panasonic G9 There are 205 lenses for the Sony A7's Sony E mount, but on the other hand, there are only 123 lenses for the Panasonic G9's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Panasonic G9 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization (IS) which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. G9's built-in Image stabilization system is effective for compensating vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.
On the other hand, Sony A7 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 41 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Panasonic G9 Lenses	# of Sony A7 Lenses
Standard Zoom	18	19 (14 Full Frame)
Standard Prime	15	34 (21 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	6	17 (12 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	32	61 (42 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	21	21 (19 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime	11	29 (22 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	8	10 (2 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	2 (0 Full Frame)
Macro Prime	5	9 (8 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	2 (2 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	n/a
TOTAL	123	205 (142 Full Frame)

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Panasonic G9 and Sony A7 to see how these lenses compare:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic Leica 12-35mm F2.8	24 - 70mm	306gr	964gr	74mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II ( Check Size)	24 - 70mm	695gr	1,169gr	120mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS	70 - 200mm	357gr	1,015gr	100mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM II ( Check Size)	70 - 200mm	1045gr	1,519gr	200mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic Leica 35-100mm f2.8	70 - 200mm	360gr	1,018gr	100mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM ( Check Size)	50mm	516gr	990gr	96mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH	50mm	205gr	863gr	55mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II ( Check Size)	16 - 35mm	547gr	1,021gr	112mm	Amazon B&H Photo

24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH	16 - 36mm	315gr	973gr	88mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS ( Check Size)	24 - 105mm	663gr	1,137gr	113mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0	24 - 120mm	320gr	978gr	86mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM ( Check Size)	100 - 400mm	1395gr	1,869gr	205mm	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Sony A7 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Sony A7 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic G9 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Sony A7 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Portrait Photography

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Check the Best Sony E Mount Lenses for Portrait Photography

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A7 for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Street Photography

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Check the Best Sony E Mount Lenses for Street Photography

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A7 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Cross Type Focus sensors
117 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Check the Best Sony E Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A7 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
474g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Landscape Photography

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Check the Best Sony E Mount Lenses for Landscape Photography

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A7: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far, but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic G9 and Sony A7, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic G9 and Sony A7 scores compare:

Panasonic G9

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #59 out of 118 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #90 out of 1276 in all Cameras

Sony A7

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #76 out of 118 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #134 out of 1276 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Sony A7 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Panasonic G9

CHECK PRICE

Sony A7

CHECK PRICE

Sony A7 vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DC-G9	Sony Alpha 7
Brand	Panasonic	Sony
Announced	2017-11-08	2014-01-22
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Four Thirds	Full frame
Dimensions	17.3 x 13 mm	35.8 x 23.9 mm
Area	224.90mm²	855.62mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	24 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	50 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	100 ISO	-
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	225	117
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Sony E
Number of Available Lenses	123	205
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Tilting
Size	3.00"	3.00"
Resolution	1,040k dots	1,230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	3,680k dots	2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.83x	0.71x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/32000s	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	20.0 fps	5.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264	MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	658g	474g
Dimensions	137 x 97 x 92mm	127 x 94 x 48mm
Battery Life	400 shots	340 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording		With Downloadable App
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	90
DxO Color Depth	not tested	24.8
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	14.2
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	2248
	Report a correction	Report a correction