Panasonic G9 vs Sony RX1 Comparison

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Panasonic G9

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

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Sony RX1

24 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic G9 vs Sony RX1 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic G9, which was introduced in November 2017 is a Advanced Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Sony RX1, which was introduced in February 2013 is a Large Sensor Compact camera with a 24.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, RX1 is 4 years older than G9. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Panasonic G9 and Sony RX1 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 RX1 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2013-02-19

24MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600

35 mm f2.00 Prime Lens

3.00" Fixed Type Screen

5.0fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

482g. 113 x 65 x 70 mm

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Panasonic G9 and Sony RX1 compare 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 Cyber-shot DSC-RX1

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
LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Electronic vs Electronic (Optional)	Better framing and control
Number of Focus Points	225 vs 25	200 more focus points
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	20.0fps vs 5.0fps	15 fps faster
Battery Life	400 shots vs 270 shots	130 more frames with a single charge
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
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Full-size HDMI Port	Yes vs No	Use standard HDMI cables without adapters
Selfie & Vlogger LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
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
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 Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Sensor Resolution	24 MP vs 20 MP	19% more pixels
LCD Resolution	1.229k dots vs 1.040k dots	18% higher resolution screen
Weight	482 g vs 658 g	176 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area	35.50µm2 vs 11.16µm2	218% larger pixel area

CHECK RX1 PRICE

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
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 1.229k dots	High resolution screens
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1

Panasonic G9 vs Sony RX1: 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 RX1 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 RX1 has external dimensions of 113 x 65 x 70 mm (4.45 x 2.56 x 2.76″) and weighs 482 g (1.06 lb / 17.00 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Panasonic G9 and the Sony RX1. Sony RX1 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 24mm narrower, 32mm shorter and 22mm thinner than Panasonic G9. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Sony RX1 has a built-in lens but Panasonic G9 doesn't. Once you put a lens on G9, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Sony RX1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony RX1.

Top View Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the Sony RX1 Size

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony RX1 is significantly lighter (176g ) than the Panasonic G9 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on G9, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

With its weather-sealed body, we believe that the G9 has a big advantage over the RX1 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9 and Sony RX1's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.

On the other hand, Panasonic G9 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Sony RX1's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G9.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony RX1: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony RX1 has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

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 RX1 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony RX1 Cameras

As seen above, Sony RX1 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.

What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Sony RX1 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Sony RX1 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 RX1 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 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
External Flash Shoe
Optional External Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony RX1 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 23.8 mm) sensor
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.00
Optional External Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
35 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony RX1 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

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

External Flash Shoe
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 270 shots
35 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony RX1 for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

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 23.8 mm) sensor
Compact Body
482g
Body Thickness 70mm
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony RX1 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 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
35 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Panasonic G9 vs Sony RX1: 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 RX1, 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 RX1 scores compare:

Panasonic G9

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #58 out of 117 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #89 out of 1275 in all Cameras

Sony RX1

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #16 out of 64 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked #233 out of 1275 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Sony RX1 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Sony RX1 vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DC-G9	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1
Brand	Panasonic	Sony
Announced	2017-11-08	2013-02-19
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Large sensor compact
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Four Thirds	Full frame
Dimensions	17.3 x 13 mm	35.8 x 23.8 mm
Area	224.90mm²	852.04mm²
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	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	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	no lens	35 mm (1x)
Max Aperture	no lens	F2.0-22.0
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Fixed type
Size	3.00"	3.00"
Resolution	1,040k dots	1,229k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic and Optical (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	6.00 m
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/4000s
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	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	658g	482g
Dimensions	137 x 97 x 92mm	113 x 65 x 70mm
Battery Life	400 shots	270 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	93
DxO Color Depth	not tested	25.1
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	14.3
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	2534
	Report a correction	Report a correction