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Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A7S
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Panasonic GH4

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

Panasonic GH4
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Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing A7S and GH4, two Pro Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Panasonic. Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Panasonic GH4 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. Sony A7S was introduced to market in April 2014 and Panasonic GH4 was launched in February 2014. There is only 2 months difference between A7S and GH4 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-06
  • 12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 120 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Panasonic GH4 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-02-07
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 3 Fully Articulated Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 12 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (DCI) - 4096 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 560g. 133 x 93 x 84 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4

Panasonic GH4 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH5 vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Viewfinder Magnification
0.71x vs 0.67x Larger Viewfinder
Max ISO
409.600 vs 25.600 1500% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 1.036k dots 18% higher resolution screen
Weight
489 g vs 560 g 71 g lighter
Color Depth
23.9 vs 23.2 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
13.2 vs 12.8 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
3702 vs 791 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 14.12µm2 404% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing Range
±5 EV vs ±3 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices


Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 over Sony Alpha A7S
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 12 MP 33% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
49 vs 25 24 more focus points
Continuous Shooting
12.0fps vs 5.0fps 7 fps faster
Battery Life
500 shots vs 360 shots 140 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
Max Video Resolution
4096 x 2160 vs 3840 x 2160 Higher Resolution Video
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
4K Photo Mode
Yes vs No Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
Post Focus Mode
Yes vs No Change focus point after taking a shot

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Adjustable LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fully Articulated 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
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs Yes better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Dual-axis Electronic Level
Yes vs Yes Level the camera easily in two axis
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
New4
Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4: 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 Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Panasonic GH4 has external dimensions of 133 x 93 x 84 mm (5.24 x 3.66 x 3.31″) and weighs 560 g (1.23 lb / 19.75 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4. Sony A7S is 6mm narrower and 36mm thinner than Panasonic GH4 but it is also 1mm taller.

Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4.

Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4.
Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is 71g lighter than the Panasonic GH4 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

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 A7S has a Full frame sensor and Panasonic GH4 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Panasonic GH4's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S
GH4
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S
GH4
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7S and GH4 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Sony A7S features a Tilting only screen which is mostly only good for shooting from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Panasonic GH4 sports a Fully Articulated screen which is more flexible and useful especially for taking Selfie shots and video.
Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Panasonic GH4 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine IX processor.

Below you can see the A7S and GH4 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 3.8x Larger sensor area than Panasonic GH4. 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.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

Both Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, A7S has scored 87, 13 points higher than GH4.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7S 87 23.9 bits 13.2 Evs 3702 ISO
Panasonic GH4 74 23.2 bits 12.8 Evs 791 ISO
Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4 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 A7S has an advantage over Panasonic GH4. There are 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 107 lenses for Panasonic GH4's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 31 lenses for Sony E mount and 31 lenses for Micro Four Thirds mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Sony A7S Lenses # of Panasonic GH4 Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 15
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 13
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 5
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 29
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 18
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 9
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 8
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 5
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 4
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 107


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
24 - 70mm 886gr 1375gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS Lens Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 OIS
24 - 70mm 305gr 865gr 74mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
70 - 200mm 1480gr 1969gr 200mm Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS Lens Panasonic X 35-100mm F2.8 II Power OIS
70 - 200mm 357gr 917gr 100mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.4
50mm 778gr 1267gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH Lens Panasonic 25mm F1.4 II ASPH
50mm 205gr 765gr 55mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
16 - 35mm 680gr 1169gr 122mm Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Lens Panasonic 8-18mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH
16 - 36mm 315gr 875gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
24 - 105mm 663gr 1152gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS Lens Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH Power OIS
24 - 120mm 320gr 880gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
100 - 400mm 1395gr 1884gr 205mm Amazon B&H Photo
Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3 Lens Panasonic 100-400mm F4.0-6.3
200 - 800mm 985gr 1545gr 172mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 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.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Panasonic GH4 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Panasonic GH4 for Street Photography

GOOD
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Panasonic GH4 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
49 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Panasonic GH4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
560g
Body Thickness 84mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic GH4 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Panasonic GH4: 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 Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4, 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 Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Panasonic GH4
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #53 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #112 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S has a higher Overall Score than the Panasonic GH4 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Panasonic GH4
Panasonic GH4
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Panasonic GH4 vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4
Brand Sony Panasonic
Announced 2014-04-06 2014-02-07
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame Four Thirds
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 17.3 x 13 mm
Area 855.62mm2 224.90mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 200 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 25 49
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Micro Four Thirds
Number of Available Lenses 128 107
Screen
Type Tilting Fully Articulated
Size 3 3
Resolution 1,230k dots 1,036k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots 2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x 0.67x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 17.00 m (at ISO 200)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 12.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 4096 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 560g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 133 x 93 x 84mm
Battery Life 360 shots 500 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 74
DxO Color Depth 23.9 23.2
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 12.8
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 791
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