• 4/3 224.9mm2
  • 16.0 megapixels
  • ISO 200 - 25,600
  • APS-C 366.6mm2
  • 24.2 megapixels
  • ISO 100 - 25,600

Buy From

Differences

Panasonic GM5 advantages over Sony A6500

  • Lens selection
    Excellent vs Good
    Better lens selection gives you more options
  • Fast startup
    ~1.00 vs 1.3 sec
    Faster startup lets you catch the moment
  • Thinner
    36 mm vs 53 mm
    Thinner
  • Longer exposure
    60 vs 30 sec
    Long exposures for night shots
  • Faster shutter
    1/16000 vs 1/4000 sec
    Shoot wide open in bright light

Sony A6500 advantages over Panasonic GM5

  • Larger sensor
    APS-C vs 4/3
    More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
    Yes vs No
    Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
  • Shoot 4K video
    4K (UHD) vs 1080p
    Make sure you have a fast computer
  • Tiltable Screen
    Tiltable vs Fixed
    Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
  • NFC
    Yes vs No
    Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
  • Built-in Bluetooth
    Yes vs No
    Always-on wireless connectivity
  • Better color depth
    24.5 vs 22.1 bits
    Capture richer, more accurate colors
  • Higher effective ISO
    1,405 vs 721 iso
    Take photos in low light with less noise
  • More dynamic range
    13.7 vs 11.7 evs
    Retain detail in highlight and shadows
  • On-sensor phase detect
    Yes vs No
    Usually improves live view and video AF performance
  • Longer stills battery life
    More info 350 vs 220 shots
    Capture more photos
  • Internal flash
    Internal flash vs None
    Useful in a pinch for fill flash
  • External Mic Jack
    Jack vs No jack
    Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
  • Higher max flash sync
    1/160 vs 1/50 sec
    Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
  • More viewfinder magnification
    0.70x vs 0.46x
    Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
  • More pixels
    24.2 vs 16.0 megapixels
    Higher resolution photos
  • Faster JPEG shooting
    11.1 fps vs 5.7 fps
    Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
  • Bigger JPEG buffer
    231 vs 56 shots
    Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
  • Faster RAW shooting
    11.1 fps vs 4.9 fps
    Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
  • Bigger RAW buffer
    110 vs 7 shots
    Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
  • Slow-motion videos
    Yes vs No
    Shoot slow-motion videos
  • Higher extended ISO
    51200 vs 25600 ISO
    Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

  • Focus peaking
    Both provide
    Your camera will highlight what's in focus
  • Eye-level viewfinder
    Both provide
    You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
  • Touchscreen
    Both provide
    Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
  • In-camera panoramas
    Both provide
    Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
    Both provide
    Share your photos wirelessly
  • HDMI out
    Both provide
    Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
  • Hot shoe
    Both provide
    Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
  • Bulb shutter
    Both provide
    Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

  • Tilt-swivel screen
    Neither provide
    Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
  • Built-in GPS
    Neither provide
    Geotag your photos
  • Top deck display
    Neither provide
    Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
  • Dual card slots
    Neither provide
    Gives you more storage flexibility
  • Headphone jack
    Neither provide
    Monitor audio recording while you shoot video

User reviews

Buy From

Review Excerpt

  • Great image quality for a tiny camera; Excellent high ISO for its class; Built-in EVF; Built-in hot-shoe; Improved ergonomics; Improved image quality for long exposures; Improved burst rate with hybrid shutter; 1080/60p video.

  • Slightly bigger than GM1 (but not by much); No built-in flash; Shallow buffers with RAW files; Dynamic range not quite as good as some competing models; Below average battery life.

  • Comfortable, premium body with good controls; Touch-screen for subject selection; Hybrid image stabilization system; Excellent image quality; Better high ISO JPEGs than the A6300; Extremely fast 11.1 fps burst capture; Very deep buffers for raw and JPEG alike; 4K video capture with no pixel binning

  • Pricey for an APS-C camera; JPEG colors aren't the most accurate; Very slow buffer clearing; Laggy touch-pad AF function; Poorly-placed movie button; No headphone jack; Mediocre battery life

The Competition

Compared to Panasonic GM1

Panasonic GM5
Panasonic GM1
  • $898
  • 4/3
  • Eye-level viewfinder
  • In-camera panoramas
  • $479
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • Internal flash
Sony A6500
Panasonic GM1
  • $1216
  • APS-C
  • Larger sensor
  • Eye-level viewfinder
  • $479
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup

Compared to Panasonic GF7

Panasonic GM5
Panasonic GF7
  • $898
  • 4/3
  • Eye-level viewfinder
  • Hot shoe
  • $590
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • Tiltable Screen
Sony A6500
Panasonic GF7
  • $1216
  • APS-C
  • Larger sensor
  • Eye-level viewfinder
  • $590
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Thinner

Compared to Fujifilm X-Pro2

Panasonic GM5
Fujifilm X-Pro2
  • $898
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Touchscreen
  • $1300
  • APS-C
  • Larger sensor
  • Shoot 4K video
Sony A6500
Fujifilm X-Pro2
  • $1216
  • APS-C
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • Touchscreen
  • $1300
  • APS-C
  • Higher max flash sync
  • More dots on screen

Compared to Sony A6300

Panasonic GM5
Sony A6300
  • $898
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Touchscreen
  • $846
  • APS-C
  • Larger sensor
  • Shoot 4K video
Sony A6500
Sony A6300
  • $1216
  • APS-C
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • Touchscreen
  • $846
  • APS-C
  • Less expensive

Compared to Panasonic GX850

Panasonic GM5
Panasonic GX850
  • $898
  • 4/3
  • Eye-level viewfinder
  • Fast startup
  • $548
  • 4/3
  • Less expensive
  • Shoot 4K video
Sony A6500
Panasonic GX850
  • $1216
  • APS-C
  • Larger sensor
  • Eye-level viewfinder
  • $548
  • 4/3
  • Lens selection
  • Thinner
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