Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37 Comparison

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Panasonic G9

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

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Sony A37

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

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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 the 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 ( 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 A37 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-05-16

16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600

Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

2.60" Tilting Screen

1440k dot Electronic viewfinder

6.0fps 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 in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 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 SLT-A37

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected	Better connectivity
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Magnif.	0.83x vs 0.73x	Larger Viewfinder
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 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
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
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 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

CHECK A37 PRICE

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
Max 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	2.60" vs 2.60"	Small display

Panasonic G9 vs Sony A37: 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 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 the Panasonic G9 and the 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.

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

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

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

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Panasonic G9 and Sony A37.

Top View Comparison image of the Panasonic G9 and the the 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 also have to 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

A37

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A37

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

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

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G9's 3.00" 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 moiré occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the G9 and 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?

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 A37 has an advantage over the Panasonic G9 There are 143 lenses for the Sony A37's Sony/Minolta Alpha mount, but on the other hand, there are only 121 lenses for the Panasonic G9's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Panasonic G9 and Sony A37 have 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 for compensating vibration up to 6.5-stops according to CIPA standards.

Lens Type	# of Panasonic G9 Lenses	# of Sony A37 Lenses
Standard Zoom	18	20
Standard Prime	15	9
Wideangle Zoom	6	11
Wideangle Prime	32	18
Telephoto Zoom	19	26
Telephoto Prime	11	13
SuperZoom	8	19
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	4
Macro Prime	5	12
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	9
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	2
TOTAL	121	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 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 DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM	24 - 75mm	577gr	1,083gr	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	70 - 200mm	357gr	1,015gr	100mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	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	50mm	205gr	863gr	55mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony 35mm F1.4 G	35mm	510gr	1,016gr	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	16 - 36mm	315gr	973gr	88mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	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	24 - 120mm	320gr	978gr	86mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	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	200 - 800mm	985gr	1,643gr	172mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II	70 - 400mm	1500gr	2,006gr	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

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Portrait Photography

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

Check the Best Sony Alpha Mount Lenses for Portrait Photography

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

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Street Photography

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

Check the Best Sony Alpha Mount Lenses for Street Photography

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

Check the Best Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

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

Check the Best Sony Alpha Mount Lenses for Sports Photography

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

POOR

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

Check the Best Sony Alpha Mount Lenses for Landscape Photography

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 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 A37 scores compare:

Panasonic G9

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #57 out of 114 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #83 out of 1268 in all Cameras

Sony A37

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #22 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #219 out of 1268 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.

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	121	143
Screen
Type	Fully Articulated	Tilting
Size	3.00"	2.60"
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
Built-in 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 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, 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
	Report a correction	Report a correction