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Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37 Comparison

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Panasonic G9

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

Panasonic G9
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Sony A37

16 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A37
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Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Panasonic G9, which was introduced in November 2017 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 20.0MP Four Thirds sensor whereas Sony A37, which was introduced in May 2012 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, A37 is 5 years older than G9. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 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
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 3680k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 20.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 658g. 137 x 97 x 92 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Sony A37 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-05-16
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 2.6" Tilting Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 506g. 124 x 92 x 85 mm
  • Replaced Sony SLT-A35 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 over Sony SLT-A37
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.83x vs 0.73x Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 16 MP 25% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
225 vs 15 210 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.6" 0.4 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 230k dots 351% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
20.0fps vs 6.0fps 14 fps faster
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Viewfinder Resolution
3680k dot vs 1440k dot 155% 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
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 Ultra High Speeds


Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A37 over Panasonic Lumix DC-G9
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Battery Life
500 shots vs 400 shots 100 more frames with a single charge
Weight
506 g vs 658 g 152 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
22.87µm2 vs 11.16µm2 104% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 and Sony SLT-A37
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
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
Continuous Shooting
20.0fps vs 6.0fps Fast shooting speeds
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 SLT-A37
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.6" Small display
Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37: 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 A37 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 A37 has external dimensions of 124 x 92 x 85 mm (4.88 x 3.62 x 3.35″) and weighs 506 g (1.12 lb / 17.85 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37. Sony A37 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 13mm narrower, 5mm shorter and 7mm thinner than Panasonic G9.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37.
Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A37 is significantly lighter (152g ) 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 A37 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 A37 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

G9
A37
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

G9
A37
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that G9 has a big advantage over A37 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Sony A37's 2.6" screen.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37: Sensor Comparison

Panasonic G9 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony A37 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 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 moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and A37 sensor size comparison.

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A37 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 A37 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 A37 has an advantage over Panasonic G9 There are 143 lenses for Sony A37's Sony/Minolta Alpha 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. Both Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies. G9's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.

Lens Type # of Panasonic G9 Lenses # of Sony A37 Lenses
Standard Zoom 15 20
Standard Prime 13 9
Wideangle Zoom 5 11
Wideangle Prime 29 18
Telephoto Zoom 18 26
Telephoto Prime 9 12
SuperZoom 8 19
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 4
Macro Prime 4 12
Perspective Control Prime n/a 10
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 2
TOTAL 107 143


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 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 Lens Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS
24 - 70mm 305gr 963gr 74mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM Lens Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
24 - 75mm 577gr 1083gr 88mm 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 Lens Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS
70 - 200mm 357gr 1015gr 100mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM Lens Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM
82.5 - 300mm 305gr 811gr 85mm 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 Lens Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH
50mm 205gr 863gr 55mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 35mm F1.4 G Lens Sony 35mm F1.4 G
35mm 510gr 1016gr 76mm 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 Lens Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH
16 - 36mm 315gr 973gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD Lens Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD
15 - 36mm 406gr 912gr 84mm 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 Lens Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS
24 - 120mm 320gr 978gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Lens Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA
24 - 120mm 445gr 951gr 83mm 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 Lens Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3
200 - 800mm 985gr 1643gr 172mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II Lens Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II
70 - 400mm 1500gr 2006gr 196mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 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 A37 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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A37 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A37 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
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
3 Cross Type Focus sensors
15 Focus Points
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A37 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
506g
Body Thickness 85mm
Read the details

Panasonic G9 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A37 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
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37: 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 A37, 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 A37 scores compare:

Panasonic G9
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #36 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #60 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A37
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #22 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #186 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Panasonic G9 has a higher Overall Score than the Sony A37 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Panasonic G9
Panasonic G9
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Sony A37
Sony A37
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Sony A37 vs Panasonic G9 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 Sony SLT-A37
Brand Panasonic Sony
Announced 2017-11-08 2012-05-16
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Four Thirds APS-C
Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 224.90mm2 366.60mm2
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 15
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of Available Lenses 107 143
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Tilting
Size 3" 2.6"
Resolution 1,040k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 3,680k dots 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.83x 0.73x
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 Sensor-shift
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 6.0 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 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 658g 506g
Dimensions 137 x 97 x 92mm 124 x 92 x 85mm
Battery Life 400 shots 500 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 75
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.3
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.9
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 799
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