Sony Alpha 5000 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha 5000 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha 5000 was introduced in January 2014 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 was introduced in April 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 5000 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 over Sony Alpha 5000.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha 5000 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 have 3.0" screens with 461k dot and 920k dot resolutions respectively. Sony Alpha 5000 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 has a Fixed screen Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Sony Alpha 5000 features a 20.1 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.2 x 15.4 mm and a total area of 357.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 16,000. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 features a 12.1 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 169 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 12,800.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Sony Alpha 5000 is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 5456 x 3632 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 5456 x 3064, 3872 x 2576, 3872 x 2176, 2736 x 1824, 2736 x 1536 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 is equipped with Venus Engine FHD processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 2672, 4000 x 2248, 2992 x 2992, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2112 x 2112, 2048 x 1536, 2048x1360, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1064, 1600 x 904, 1504 x 1504, 1440 x 1440 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Sony Alpha 5000 has Sony E lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Sony Alpha 5000 its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Sony Alpha 5000 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 nothing can be done. On Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 5000 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony Alpha 5000

Sony Alpha 5000 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Sony Alpha 5000

Sony Alpha 5000 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha 5000 has a Micro HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 has a Mini TypeC HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha 5000 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 420 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha 5000 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo card slot. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha 5000, and up to 1/4000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5. Sony Alpha 5000 can shoot continuously up to 3.5 fps. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 5000 has Contrast-detection AF system with 25 focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 has 23 focusing points..

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 4.00 m at ISO 100 on Sony Alpha 5000 and 6.30 m on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on both cameras.

Sony Alpha 5000 body has dimensions of 110 x 63 x 36 mm (4.33 x 2.48 x 1.42") and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 body has dimensions of 108 x 67 x 37 mm (4.25 x 2.64 x 1.46"). Sony Alpha 5000 weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 weighs 267 g (0.59 lb / 9.42 oz).

Sony Alpha 5000

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5

110 mm

63 mm

108 mm

67 mm

63 mm

67 mm

36 mm

37 mm