Panasonic Lumix
DMC-G1
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 vs Sony NEX-7

Sony Alpha NEX-5

83
"The system for manually positioning AF points is quick and easy to use."
dpreview.com | talking about the NEX-5's auto-focus
"High quality video mode"
dpreview.com | talking about the NEX-5's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Sony Alpha NEX-5

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.2 EV
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

37

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed

differences

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-G1
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder Digital vs None
Help
 A viewfinder can help save battery life by keeping the screen turned off
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 26 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 Around 3.5x more lenses available
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 3,200 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $499.99 vs $569.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $69 cheaper (more than 10% less)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-G1

Advantages of the Sony NEX-5
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 796 ISO vs 463 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5 has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 69.0 vs 53.0
Help
 More than 30% better image quality
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 460k dots
Help
 2x higher resolution screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 10.3 EV
Help
 1.9 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 22.2 bits vs 21.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.1 more bits of color
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The NEX-5's maximum light sensitivity is 3 f-stops better
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor APS-C 23.4x15.6mm vs Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm
Help
 More than 50% larger sensor
True resolution Higher true resolution 14 MP vs 12 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Size Smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 124x84x45 mm
Help
 Around 50% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 287 g vs 430 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 7 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Thickness Thinner 1.5" vs 1.8"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-5
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
37 vs 83
Explain scores
Sony Alpha NEX-5 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Sony Alpha NEX-5.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

PanasonicLumix DMC-G1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 vs Sony Alpha NEX-5
SonyAlpha NEX-5
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
1
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
1
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
1
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
1
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
0
1
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D3100 vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Compare the D3100 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$700 body only

$439 with 14-42mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
External flash Doesn't support an external flash
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$549 body only
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-G3 vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Compare the Lumix DMC-G3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$389 - $500
Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$329 - $379 with 14-42mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Panorama Lacks a built in panoramas
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF2 vs the Alpha NEX-5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$642 - $649 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Size Significantly larger
Thickness Much thicker
Compare the Lumix DMC-G2 vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$550 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Autofocus Video autofocus
Size Significantly larger
Low light performance Slightly more noise at high ISO
Compare the Lumix DMC-G10 vs the Lumix DMC-G1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,000 with 20mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Autofocus Video autofocus
Viewfinder No viewfinder
Lowest price Significantly more expensive
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF1 vs the Lumix DMC-G1

Sony Alpha NEX-5 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$599 - $600 body only

$698 - $699 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Startup delay Much more startup delay
Lowest price Slightly more expensive
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX C3

Sony NEX C3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$499 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly slower
Compare the NEX C3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Lowest price Much more expensive
Weight Heavier
Compare the NEX-7 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sony Alpha NEX-3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$479 - $548 with 16mm lens
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Overall image quality Slightly worse image quality
Compare the Alpha NEX-3 vs the Alpha NEX-5
Nikon 1 J1

Nikon 1 J1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$597 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the 1 J1 vs the Alpha NEX-5

appearance

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Sony Alpha NEX-5

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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