Panasonic Lumix G7 vs Sony A6000

Introduction

The Lumix G7 and Sony A6000 are two widely recognized semi-pro mirrorless cameras that were introduced in 2015 and 2014, respectively, and throughout their existence, they have been heavily praised by the photographers on the market, and even in 2019, they are still an attractive option for beginners.

The reason is very simple though, these cameras are cost-effective, and are strong enough to allow the user to set concrete foundation in the world of photography because of their tremendously good capabilities. Have you been looking for something similar? If yes, let’s see which one deserves to be your choice!

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Head To Head Comparison

Panasonic G7

The Panasonic G7 has a slim, handsome-looking body with sharp angles that is available in two versions, such as the black or silver-finished color edition, and even though we are currently reviewing the silver-colored version, feel free to switch because you simply can’t go wrong!

For your information, the G7 measures 3.4 x 4.9 x 3″ (HWD), weighs around 14.6 ounces without a lens, and has a good, overall build quality, albeit it is made mostly of plastic.

On the top plate, there is a Mode dial that sits on the top-left side, next to the pop-up flash, while on the right, there is yet another large, Mode dial that is accompanied by a Power switch, a programmable Fn1 button, a Record button, and a Shutter release button that sits close to the grip.

On the rear, you can find dedicated buttons that sit to the left and right side of the viewfinder, which sits at the top-center, as well as on the right-handed side, and what’s cool is that all of them are easily accessible, so you can completely rely on them throughout your shooting sessions.

Since I’ve mentioned the viewfinder, I have to admit that Panasonic has done a really good job here, because the camera’s viewfinder is OLED and has a resolution of 2,360k-dots with 10,000:1 contrast and a coverage of up to 100%, which by default means that you will always have a crystal-sharp view of everything you opt to capture!

A 3″, 1,040k-dot, vari-angle touchscreen sits under the viewfinder, and outputs a decent level of brightness, and it is very responsive as well, which will add a lot to your user experience, because all of your gestures are going to be registered properly! However, keep in mind that since most of the cameras` screens suffer once you start shooting under bright daylight, you can expect the same with this camera, although most of the times you will unlikely deal with such problems.

Moreover, the connection options are composed of a micro-HDMI port, single USB 2.0 port, memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, a wired remote control connection, a standard, built-in mic, and a built-in Wi-Fi support which without a doubt, means that you will have an exceptionally smooth share of your photos and videos to compatible devices!

When it comes to the performance, the Lumix G7 is armed with a Venus Engine 9 image processor, a 16MP CMOS sensor, has a continuous shooting rate of 7 fps, 49-point AF, and an ISO sensitivity level that ranges from 100-25,600!

Even though we are talking about an entry-level camera, keep in mind that the G7 can control the noise pretty well, and will let you capture both JPG and RAW format images!

For instance, even at ISO 100, the Lumix G7 does really have exceptionally good dynamic range results, while at between ISO 1600-3200, the noise starts to appear, however, not in a heavily pronounced fashion which means that images are still usable. Personally, I think that the best results can be achieved up to ISO 6400, because if you push it higher, let’s say at ISO 12,800/25600 noise becomes more prominent and by default, this means that images aren’t good enough to be used.

Moving on, if you want to try yourself shooting RAW format images, keep in mind that since at this stage, the in-camera noise reduction is disabled, details do significantly look better in comparison to JPGs, and this pattern continues up to ISO 6400. Starting from ISO 12,800 – 25,600, noise starts to get rougher, but still, the results aren’t as bad as is the case with JPG format imagery.

Aside from capturing photos, the G7 is quite strong to be used for recording videos. Namely, it allows you record 4K videos at 30/24fps, 1080p videos at 60/30/20 fps, 720p videos at 30 fps or 480p30.

Since the G7 is a very versatile camera, you can get a specific lens for Panasonic G7 and use it for wildlife photography, zoom etc.

The footage looks crisp and sharp, whereas, the color accuracy is excellent as well, and I can easily say that as you’re growing as a photographer by capturing photos, you shouldn’t hesitate to start recording videos and get better at that aspect as well!

Panasonic G7 Sample Footage:

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Sony A6000

The Sony A6000 is available in multiple colors, starting from the black-painted edition which I’m currently reviewing, but you can also switch and choose one of the silver, white and the graphite-colored edition if you prefer a different color combination, however, keep in mind that each of them looks fantastic and you I doubt that you will ever be disappointed!

This particular model measures 2.6 x 4.7 x 1.8″ (HWD) weighs around 12.1 ounces without a lens, and even though it has a stylish look, it is also tough, thanks to the use of magnesium-alloy that does really make it feel solid once you have it in your hands!

But, if we take this aside, the Sony A6000 guarantees convenient shooting experience as well, and the reason behind this is its large grip that is covered in a textured pattern that helps you shoot comfortably for a longer period of time!

Moving on, the control layout is fairly simple and it is well-organized as well. On the top plate, there are two strategically positioned dials ( one of them grants you access to adjust the shooting mode, aperture priority, fully automatic or fully manual mode), whereas the second, is purely for adjusting the aperture or shutter speed depending on the mode you use, of course.

On the top-left corner on the rear, there is a highly-accurate and bright, 1440k-dot OLED viewfinder that will help you have a clear view of the overall scene and the subject you intend to shoot. while on the top-right side and all the way up to the far right, there are multiple buttons that are set in a compressed fashion due to the camera’s compactness. However, you will never have problems reaching them and they do not make the camera appear bulky, don’t worry!

At the center, a 3″, 821k-dot tilting LCD screen is sitting, and what’s cool about it is that you will have an option to tilt it upwards and downwards, however, the downward angle is limited to around 45-degrees, but still, it is better than having a fixed screen, right? The visuals are really good though, and I’m sure that you will find the screen super useful for capturing photos and recording videos. In comparison to G7’s screen, this one lacks touch-sensitivity, and clearly, G7 appears to be better at this point.

The Sony a6000 has a built-in flash, but it isn’t reliable and it won’t be enough in most situations. That’s why, i recommend you read our article on the best external flashes for Sony A6000 and get one that will suit your needs.

In terms of the connection options, the Sony A6000 houses an HDMI port, mini-USB port, DC-IN, memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC and Memory Stick Pro DUO / Pro-HG Duo memories, as well as a built-in Wi-Fi and NFC which definitely comes handy once you’re done with your shooting sessions, because it drastically ease the way you’d transfer your content.

Performance-wise, the Sony A6000 is running on a BIONZ X image processor that dramatically improves the camera’s ability to produce quality pictures and videos, but let’s not forget its continuous shooting rate of 11 fps, the 179-point phase-detection AF sensor its 24MP APS-CMOS sensor and its ISO range that stretches from 100-25,600 which work closely together to help you achieve what people call “the best picture”!

For your information, the A6000 is a very strong camera that produces numerous, sharp-looking details and at the same time, throughout the ISO noise, it handles the blur pretty well which is one of the reasons why it is often a primary shooting arsenal for a variety of photographers out there.

Namely, at ISO 1600, the picture looks really good, and the noise levels are set to the minimum, hence, although they exist they aren’t heavily pronounced to decrease the image quality. At ISO 400, you can recognize a bit of smoothing, but you’d have to really focus to recognize it, whereas, starting from ISO 3200-6400, noise starts to progress and reaches its peak at ISO 25,600 which is, therefore, the highest setting that should be avoided by all costs. At ISO 12,800 images are still usable, and do not hesitate to rely on this sensitivity level.

RAW imagery, in general, does not have much noise, but as expected, at ISO 12,800 – 25,600 the noise is more prominent, but still, it isn’t as bad as the JPG since the details are kind of more preserved.

Finally, the Sony A6000 records 1080p videos at 60/24fps and although the footage is crisp, the G7’s 4K capability will undoubtedly offer you better performance and results. Therefore, G7 wins the race in this aspect.

Sony A6000 Sample Images:

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Panasonic Lumix G7 vs Sony A6000 Feature Comparison

	Lumix G7	Sony A6000
Camera Type	Mirrorless	Mirrorless
Megapixels	16.0	24.0
ISO Range	100-25,600	100-25600;51,200
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	Yes
AF Points	49 AF Points	179 AF Points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	Yes	No
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	CMOS	APS-C

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Conclusion

In the end, I have to admit that I had a truly entertaining time comparing both cameras, because both of them offer advantages to the photographer along with some cons that should always be there, because that’s what makes the manufacturers become even better by releasing a stronger and virtually flawless product at the next time.

In terms of Portrait photography, the A6000 offers slightly better results, but what both cameras share in common at this point, is that both of them output an average performance.

The same can be said for Street photography, where Sony beats the G7 by a tiny percentage, however, the difference can be seen at the Daily photography where the A6000 achieves way better results.

For sports photography, yet again, the A6000 outputs a better performance but the difference isn’t huge, in fact, the performance is nearly the same, while for Landscape photography, A6000 outputs a truly better performance.

The areas where the Lumix beats the A6000 can be recognized at its screen who has a 12% higher resolution ( 1,040k vs 922k-dots), it is touch-sensitive and it is more flexible. The other areas include a 4K capability something that A6000 lacks, has a faster max shutter speed ( 1/16000s vs 14000s), and also at the viewfinder resolution ( 2360k-dot vs 1440k-dot).

On the other hand, Alpha A6000 has a faster continuous shooting speed ( 11 vs 7 fps) 130 more focus points ( 179-49), 50% more pixels ( 24MP vs 16MP) it is NFC enabled, and because it supports UHS-I memory cards.

If you ask me, the Panasonic Lumix G7 would be a better option for you, because it will let you record 4K videos, and the performance is nearly identical to the Sony A6000 considering its lower price tag, which appears to make this camera be a cost-effective product.

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