Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N 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 NEX-5N has external dimensions of 111 x 59 x 38 mm (4.37 x 2.32 x 1.5″) and weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N. Sony NEX-5N is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 26mm narrower, 38mm shorter and 54mm thinner than Panasonic G9.
![Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N.
![Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N Camera Size Comparison - Back View]()
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N Size and Weight - Back View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N.
![Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N Camera Size Comparison - Top View]()
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Sony NEX-5N is significantly lighter (389g ) 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 have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony NEX-5N has an APS-C sized 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 NEX-5N lenses.
Weight Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Thickness Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Weather Sealing
With its weather sealed body, we believe that G9 has a big advantage over NEX-5N which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".
Sony NEX-5N 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 Selfie shots and video.
Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony NEX-5N has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz 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 moire occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the G9 and NEX-5N sensor size comparison.
![Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N Cameras
As seen above, Sony NEX-5N has a 1.6x 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.
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony NEX-5N has an advantage over Panasonic G9 There are 123 lenses for Sony NEX-5N's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 107 lenses for 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 to compensate vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.30 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.
| Lens Type |
# of Panasonic G9 Lenses |
# of Sony NEX-5N Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
15 |
12 |
| Standard Prime |
13 |
18 |
| Wideangle Zoom |
5 |
7 |
| Wideangle Prime |
29 |
39 |
| Telephoto Zoom |
18 |
9 |
| Telephoto Prime |
9 |
18 |
| SuperZoom |
8 |
8 |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
5 |
2 |
| Macro Prime |
4 |
8 |
| Perspective Control Prime |
n/a |
2 |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
1 |
n/a |
| TOTAL |
107 |
123 |
Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N to see how these lenses compares:
Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N 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
Sony NEX-5N for Portrait Photography
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
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Panasonic G9 for Street Photography
Sony NEX-5N for Street Photography
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
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography
Sony NEX-5N for Sports Photography
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
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography
Sony NEX-5N for Daily Photography
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
658g
Body Thickness 92mm
Read the details
Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography
Sony NEX-5N for Landscape Photography
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
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 NEX-5N, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 NEX-5N scores compare:
Panasonic G9
Ranked
#35 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#59 out of 1219 in all Cameras
Sony NEX-5N
Ranked
#60 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#297 out of 1219 in all Cameras
Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Sony NEX-5N and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.
| General |
Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 |
Sony Alpha NEX-5N |
| Brand |
Panasonic |
Sony |
| Announced |
2017-11-08 |
2011-10-03 |
| Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
Four Thirds |
APS-C |
| Dimensions |
17.3 x 13 mm |
23.4 x 15.6 mm |
| Area |
224.90mm2 |
365.04mm2 |
| Megapixels |
20 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
5184 x 3888 |
4912 x 3264 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
25,600 ISO |
25,600 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
200 ISO |
100 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 |
25 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Micro Four Thirds |
Sony E |
| Number of Available Lenses |
107 |
123 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fully Articulated |
Tilting |
| Size |
3" |
3" |
| Resolution |
1,040k dots |
920k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Electronic (optional) |
| Viewfinder Resolution |
3,680k dots |
no electronic viewfinder |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
n/a |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.83x |
n/a |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/8000s |
1/4000s |
| Max Electronic Shutter |
1/32000s |
n/a |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
Sensor-shift |
No |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
12.00 m |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/160s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
20.0 fps |
10.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
3840 x 2160 |
1920 x 1080 |
| Video Formats |
MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
AVCHD |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
Eye-Fi Connected |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
658g |
269g |
| Dimensions |
137 x 97 x 92mm |
111 x 59 x 38mm |
| Battery Life |
400 shots |
460 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
77 |
| DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
23.6 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
12.7 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
1079 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |