Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4 – A Detailed Comparison

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4: Let’s take a look at the Sony Alpha A6000 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC GH4. Both mirrorless cameras, the former featuring a 24.0MP APS-C sensor and the latter with its 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. Here’s a side by side look at their specification before we go into more detail.

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4 Specs

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4 – Comparison

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4 – Comparison

Specifications

Sony A6000

Panasonic GH4

Megapixels 24.3 16.1
Sensor Type CMOS Live MOS
Sensor Format APS-C Micro Four Thirds
Crop Factor 1.5x 2.0x
AA Filter Yes Yes
Image Resolution 6000 x 4000 4608 x 3456
Body Image Stabilization No No
Lens Mount Sony E Micro Four Thirds
ISO 100 -25,600 200 – 25,600
Expanded ISO 51,200 100
AF Points 179 49 Contrast
Cross-type AF Points 179 phase 0 phase
Continuous Mode 11fps 12fps
LCD 3.0″ – Articulating 3.0″ – Fully Articulated
LCD Resolution 921,600 dots 1,036,800 dots
Touchscreen No Yes
Focus Peaking Yes Yes
Top LCD Display No No
Viewfinder Type EVF (1.44M) EVF (2.36M)
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 1.07x 1.34x
Video Resolution 1920×1080 (60/24p) 4096×2160 (24p)
3840×2160 (30/25/24p)
Microphone Jack No Yes
Headphone Jack No Yes
Memory Card Type SD or MS Pro SD
Dual Card Slots No No
SD UHS Support UHS-I UHS-I
Fastest Shutter Speed 1/4000 1/8000
Slowest Shutter Speed 30″ 60″
Bulb Mode Yes Yes
JPEG Buffer Size 47 Unlimited
RAW Buffer Size 22 21
Time Lapse Yes Yes
Built-in Flash Yes Yes
Max Flash Sync Speed 1/160 1/250
Startup Time 2.2s 0.8s
Built-in Wi-Fi Yes Yes
Built-in GPS No No
Built-in NFC Yes No
Bluetooth No No
USB Type USB 2.0 USB 2.0
Environmentally Sealed Yes Yes
Battery Life (CIPA) 360 shots 530 shots
Battery Included Yes (NP-FW50) Yes
Weight 12.1 oz (344g) 20.1 oz (569g)
Size 4.7 x 2.6 x 1.8″ 5.2 x 3.7 x 3.3″
Price Amazon Amazon
Release Date 2014 2014

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony A6000 Common Features

Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes
Built-in Flash Yes vs Yes
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes
Viewfinder Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)
RAW Support Yes vs Yes
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes
LCD Screen Resolution 922k dots vs 1.036k dots
Continuous Shooting 11.0fps vs 12.0fps
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes

Panasonic GH4 vs Sony A6000 Common Weaknesses

 Image Stabilization No vs No

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4 Size Comparison

The Sony Alpha A6000 is the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 13mm narrower, 26mm shorter and 39mm thinner than the Panasonic GH4. Also, the A6000 weighs 216g less than the Panasonic GH4.

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4 – Comparison

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4 – Comparison

Also, an additional factor to weight is the lenses that you plan to use with your digital cameras. The Lumix GH4 features a smaller Four Thirds sensor. Hence, Panasonic’s lenses at a similar aperture and focal lend tend to be lighter than those for Sony’s A6000.

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4 Sensor Comparison

The Sony A6000 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features a Bionz X processor. The Panasonic Lumix GH5 has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus IX Engine processor.

The Panasonic GH5’s sensor lacks an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. This is good as your images tend to be sharper and more detailed. However, there is also a chance that some scenes may have slight moire.

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4: Sensor Comparison

Sony A6000 vs Panasonic GH4: Sensor Comparison

The Sony A6000 has a 1.6x larger sensor area than Panasonic’s GH4. Larger sensors allow for more control over the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensors when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Why You Should Choose The Sony A6000

Max Sensor Resolution 24 MP vs 16 MP
Number of Focus Points 179 vs 49
Weight 344 g vs 560 g
Color Depth 24.1 vs 23.2
Dynamic Range 13.1 vs 12.8
Low-Light ISO 1347 vs 791
Sensor Pixel Area 15.28µmvs 14.12µm2
Price $498 vs $1,498
AE Bracketing Range ±5 EV vs ±3 EV
 NFC Connection Yes vs No

Advantages of the Sony A6000 Over Panasonic GH4

  • Megapixels –  8.1 more megapixels. For printing big and cropping, the Sony A6000 is a much better choice.
  • Sensor Format – APS-C is bigger than MFT, which results in slightly less noise at higher ISO levels.
  • ISO – 51,200 vs 25,600. Higher maximum ISO sensitivity.
  • AF Points – 179 vs 49 Contrast.
  • Cross-type AF Points – 179 phase vs 0 phase.
  • Built-in NFC
  • Weight – The Sony A6000 weighs 225g less.
  • Size – The Sony A6000 is noticeably smaller.
  • Price – The A6000 is much cheaper than the GH4

Video: Sony A6000 Hands-on Review

Why You Should Choose The Panasonic GH4

 Touch Screen Yes vs No
LCD Screen Resolution 1.036k dots vs 922k dots
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Continuous Shooting 12.0fps vs 11.0fps
Battery Life 500 shots vs 360 shots
 Microphone Port Yes vs No
Headphone Port Yes vs No
Environmental Sealing Yes vs No
Timelapse Recording Yes vs With optional app
Flash Coverage 17.0m vs 6.0m
Viewfinder Resolution 2359k dot vs 1440k dot
Max Video Resolution 4096 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080
Flash Sync Port Yes vs No
Selfie Friendly LCD Yes vs No
4K Photo Mode Yes vs No
Post Focus Mode Yes vs No
Smartphone_remote control Yes vs No

Advantages of the Panasonic GH4 Over the Sony A6000

  • Continuous mode – 12fps vs 11fps. It’s an advantage, but not something you will really notice that often.
  • LCD – It’s fully articulated.
  • LCD Resolution – Higher resolution
  • Touchscreen Support
  • Viewfinder Magnification – Higher magnification.
  • Video Resolution – 4K video available.
  • Microphone Jack – If you’re going to record videos where audio quality is important, a microphone jack is super helpful.
  • Headphone Jack – Useful for previewing your audio quality straight out the camera.
  • Faster Max Shutter Speed – 1/8000 vs 1/4000.
  • Slower Max Shutter Speed – 60” vs 30”.
  • JPEG Buffer Size – Unlimited vs 47.
  • Max Flash Sync Speed – 1/250 vs 1/160.
  • Battery Life – 530 shots vs 360 shots.

Video: Panasonic GH4 Hands-on Review

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