Sony Alpha SLT-A55 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha SLT-A55 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6, 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 SLT-A55 was introduced in August 2010 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 was introduced in April 2013. 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 SLT-A55 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 over Sony Alpha SLT-A55.

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 SLT-A55 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 have 3.0" screens with 921k dot and 1,040k dot resolutions respectively. Sony Alpha SLT-A55 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 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-GF6) 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.

Electronic Viewfinder on Sony Alpha SLT-A55

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 1,150k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 1.10x (0.73x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6.

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 features a 16.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 features a 16 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 and expands to 160 - 25,600 in boosted mode.

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 SLT-A55 is equipped with BIONZ processor and can take pictures up to 4912 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3568 x 2368, 3568 x 2368, 2448 x 1624, 2448 x 1376 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 is equipped with Venus Engine FHD processor and can take pictures up to 4592 x 3448 resolution.

Lens Mount

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 has Sony A lens mount and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Sony Alpha SLT-A55 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-GF6 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.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Sony Alpha SLT-A55

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on Sony Alpha SLT-A55

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 has a built-in Wi-Fi 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 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 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 SLT-A55 has a Mini Type C HDMI and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 has a Mini Type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 380 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo card slot. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 has Electronically controlled Vertical-traverse Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha SLT-A55, and up to 1/4000 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6. Sony Alpha SLT-A55 can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 can shoot continuously up to 4.2 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) on Sony Alpha SLT-A55 and 6.30 m on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6. Sony Alpha SLT-A55 also accepts external flash. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on both cameras.

Sony Alpha SLT-A55 body has dimensions of 124 x 92 x 85 mm (4.88 x 3.62 x 3.35") and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 body has dimensions of 111 x 65 x 38 mm (4.37 x 2.56 x 1.5"). Sony Alpha SLT-A55 weighs 500 g (1.10 lb / 17.64 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 weighs 323 g (0.71 lb / 11.39 oz).

Sony Alpha SLT-A55

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6

124 mm

92 mm

111 mm

65 mm

92 mm

65 mm

85 mm

38 mm