Panasonic GX9 has a
20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor. On the other hand, Panasonic GM5 has a
16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Panasonic GX9'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 GX9 and GM5 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic GX9 and Panasonic GM5 Cameras
Panasonic GX9 and Panasonic GM5 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Panasonic GM5 has 27% larger pixel area (14.21µm 2 vs 11.16µm 2 ) compared to Panasonic GX9, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Panasonic GX9
or the
Panasonic GM5 ,
including hyperfocal distance.