Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N Comparison

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Panasonic G9

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

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Sony NEX-5N

16 MP | APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing G9 and NEX-5N, two Mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Sony. Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 is a Pro Mirrorless class camera and Sony Alpha NEX-5N is a Entry-Level Mirrorless class camera.

Panasonic G9 was introduced to market in November 2017 and Sony NEX-5N was launched in October 2011. As you can see, NEX-5N is 6 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 Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N 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

Built-in Wireless

658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Sony NEX-5N Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-10-03

16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600

Sony E Mount

3.00" Tilting Screen

10.0fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

269g. 111 x 59 x 38 mm

Replaced Sony Alpha NEX-5 Compare

Sony NEX-5N was replaced by Sony Alpha NEX-5R. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha NEX-5R vs Sony Alpha NEX-5N
Sony Alpha NEX-5R vs Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

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Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Sony Alpha NEX-5N

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected	Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
Viewfinder	Electronic vs Electronic (Optional)	Better framing and control
Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 16 MP	25% more pixels
Number of Focus Points	225 vs 25	200 more focus points
LCD Resolution	1.040k dots vs 920k dots	13% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 10.0fps	10 fps faster
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
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
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs none	Read/Write in High Speeds
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam

CHECK G9 PRICE

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha NEX-5N over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Battery Life	460 shots vs 400 shots	60 more frames with a single charge
Weight	269 g vs 658 g	389 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area	22.77µm² vs 11.16µm²	104% larger pixel area

CHECK NEX-5N PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Sony Alpha NEX-5N

Adjustable LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Tilting	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 10.0fps	Fast shooting speeds

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Sony Alpha NEX-5N

Built-in Flash	No vs No	Require external flash

Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

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.

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.

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.

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

NEX-5N

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

NEX-5N

Min

Average

Max

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 3.00".

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 vs Sony NEX-5N: Sensor Comparison

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.

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.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

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 184 lenses for Sony NEX-5N's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 119 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.
On the other hand, Sony NEX-5N doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 36 lenses for Sony E mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Panasonic G9 Lenses	# of Sony NEX-5N Lenses
Standard Zoom	17	18
Standard Prime	15	32
Wideangle Zoom	6	12
Wideangle Prime	32	57
Telephoto Zoom	19	15
Telephoto Prime	11	26
SuperZoom	8	10
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	2
Macro Prime	4	9
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	2
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	n/a
TOTAL	119	184

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

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS	24 - 70mm	305gr	963gr	74mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G	24 - 82.5mm	494gr	763gr	100mm	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	1015gr	100mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS	82.5 - 315mm	345gr	614gr	108mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Normal Prime 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 E 35mm F1.8 OSS	52.5mm	155gr	424gr	45mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Wideangle Zoom 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 E 10-18mm F4 OSS	15 - 27mm	225gr	494gr	64mm	Amazon B&H Photo

24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS	24 - 120mm	320gr	978gr	86mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS	24 - 105mm	308gr	577gr	75mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3	200 - 800mm	985gr	1643gr	172mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS	105 - 525mm	625gr	894gr	142mm	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Sony NEX-5N Good for?

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

GOOD

Sony NEX-5N for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

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

EXCELLENT

Sony NEX-5N 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

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

GOOD

Sony NEX-5N for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

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

GOOD

Sony NEX-5N 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 APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
269g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony NEX-5N for Landscape Photography

POOR

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

Panasonic G9 vs Sony NEX-5N: 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 NEX-5N, 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 NEX-5N scores compare:

Panasonic G9

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #50 out of 102 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #70 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Sony NEX-5N

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #63 out of 130 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #328 out of 1244 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.

Sony NEX-5N vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

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	119	184
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Tilting
Size	3.00"	3.00"
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
Built-in 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 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	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