✦ SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARE

Panasonic Lumix S5 vs Sony A7 IV: which is better?

Panasonic Lumix S5 and Sony A7 IV compared side by side across 123 specs and 14 scored categories — every winner highlighted, so the right pick is obvious.

2 PRODUCTS · 123 SPECS · 14 SCORED CATEGORIES · LIVE RE-RANKING

COMPARING

2 / 4

CAMERAS

Add or remove products — every chart and spec row re-ranks live.

← TOP PICK

PANASONIC

Panasonic Lumix S5

$1,999

BEST OVERALL

SONY

Sony A7 IV

$2,499

BEST FOR VALUE

Add product

2 AVAILABLE

⚡ COMPARZONE VERDICT

The Panasonic Lumix S5 takes the overall win.

Highest composite at 8.7/10 — 0.2 ahead of the Sony A7 IV. Dead heat on build. Scroll for the category-by-category breakdown.

View best price →

CATEGORY WINS · 14 SCOREDTIES SHOWN GREY

AUTO

BATT

BUIL

DESI

DOXM

FEAT

IMAG

OPTI

PERF

THEV

VIDE

VALU

Panasonic Lumix S5×4

Sony A7 IV×6

Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless CameraBEST OVERALL

Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless CameraBEST FOR VALUE

01 · SCORE RADAR

Performance profile

CLICK A PRODUCT TO ISOLATE ITS SHAPE

LARGEST GAPVideo — Panasonic Lumix S5 leads by 9.0

TIGHTESTBuild — dead heat between the top two

02 · CATEGORY BREAKDOWN

Category showdown

LUMIX S5A7 IV

AutofocusiSony A7 IV · +2.0

LUMIX S57.5

A7 IV9.5

BATTERYiSony A7 IV · +0.5

LUMIX S57.0

A7 IV7.5

BuildiTIED AT 8.5

LUMIX S58.5

A7 IV8.5

DESIGNiTIED AT 8.5

LUMIX S58.5

A7 IV8.5

DOXMARKiTIED AT 9.0

LUMIX S59.0

A7 IV9.0

FEATURESiSony A7 IV · +0.2

LUMIX S58.8

A7 IV9.0

Image QualityiTIED AT 9.0

LUMIX S59.0

A7 IV9.0

OPTICSiSony A7 IV · +0.2

LUMIX S58.8

A7 IV9.0

PERFORMANCEiSony A7 IV · +0.3

LUMIX S58.5

A7 IV8.8

THE VERDICTiPanasonic Lumix S5 · +8.7

LUMIX S58.7

A7 IV0.0

VIDEOGRAPHYiPanasonic Lumix S5 · +0.4

LUMIX S59.2

A7 IV8.8

VideoiPanasonic Lumix S5 · +9.0

LUMIX S59.0

A7 IV0.0

VideographyiPanasonic Lumix S5 · +0.4

LUMIX S59.2

A7 IV8.8

ValueiSony A7 IV · +8.0

LUMIX S50.0

A7 IV8.0

03 · VALUE MAP

Price vs performance

TOP-LEFT IS THE SWEET SPOT

SCORE PER $100 · RANKED

01Panasonic Lumix S50.44BEST DEAL

02Sony A7 IV0.34

Map shows current starting prices · trends show tracked street prices. Check live deals before deciding.

04 · THE FULL SHEET

Full specifications

123 SPECS · ALL SHOWN

SPECS

Panasonic Lumix S5$1,9996W8.7

Sony A7 IV$2,49917W8.5

AF Pointsi

225

759← BEST +237%

Subject Detectioni

Human, Animal (head, body, eye)

Human, Animal, Bird

Burst RateFPSi

7 fps

10 fps← BEST +43%

Battery HealthWHi

16 Wh

16.4 Wh

Removable BatteryiSAME

Yes

Battery Level IndicatoriSAME

Yes

Battery PowerMAHi

2200 mAh

2280 mAh

Rechargeable BatteryiSAME

Yes

Full Charge Shotsi

470 shots (CIPA LVF)

580 (LCD) / 520 (EVF)

Battery VoltageViSAME

7.2 V

Battery Modeli

DMW-BLK22

NP-FZ100

Card Slotsi

Dual (1x UHS-II, 1x UHS-I)

Dual (CFexpress Type A/SD, SD)

Weather SealingiSAME

Yes

Battery (CIPA)SHOTSi

470 shots

580 shots← BEST +23%

WeightGi

714 g

658 g← 8% lighter

Weather Sealed ( Splashproof )i

Yes, splash/dust resistant

Yes (Splashproof)

Screen Resolutioni

1,840,000 dots

1.03m dots

Touch ScreeniSAME

Yes

System Camerai

Yes (mirrorless)

Yes (Mirrorless)

EVF ResolutionM DOTSi

2.36 m dots

3.68 m dots← BEST +56%

Screen SizeINCHiSAME

3 inch

Hot ShoeiSAME

Yes

FlashiSAME

Flip Out ScreeniSAME

Yes

VolumeCM³i

1032 cm³

1011.5 cm³

Lowest Potential Operating Temperature°CiSAME

0 °C

Tilting Viewfinderi

N/A

EVF Refresh Rate ( Max )HZiSAME

120 Hz

WidthMMi

132.6 mm← BEST +1%

131.3 mm

HeightMMi

102.5 mm← BEST +6%

96.4 mm

Maximum Operating Temperature°CiSAME

40 °C

Waterproof Depthi

0 m

Thicknessi

76 mm

79.8 mm

Dxomark Sensor Scorei

97← BEST +4%

Dxomark Sports Scorei

24.9

25.5← BEST +2%

Dxomark Landscape Scorei

14.5

14.7← BEST +1%

Dxomark Portrait Scorei

25.5← BEST

25.4

Bluetooth Versioni

4.2

4.1

Typei

Mirrorless Full-Frame

Mirrorless Camera

Viewfinderi

Electronic

Electronic (OLED)

Viewfinder CoverageiSAME

100

WeightGi

714 g← BEST +9%

658 g

Processori

Venus Engine

BIONZ XR

Release Datei

2020-09-02

2021-10-26

Wi-Fi SupportediSAME

Yes

Bluetooth SupportediSAME

Yes

Dual Card SlotsiSAME

Yes

Pixel Shift Shoti

Yes (High Resolution Mode)

false

Shoots RawiSAME

Yes

Supports Lossless Compressed RawiSAME

Yes

Wi-Fi VersioniSAME

802.11ac

Supports A RemoteiSAME

Yes

HDMI SupportediSAME

Yes

GPS SupportiSAME

Support Live StreamingiSAME

Yes

Advanced Hot Shoei

Yes (Multi Interface Shoe)

Internal StorageiSAME

HDMI Versioni

2.0 (Type D Micro)

2.1

Internal Storage SizeiSAME

0 GB

NFC Supportedi

Yes← BEST

USB Type-CiSAME

Yes

External Memory SlotiSAME

Yes

Sensori

Full-Frame CMOS

Full-frame Exmor R CMOS

ResolutionMPi

24.2 MP

33 MP← BEST +36%

ISO RangeiSAME

100-51200

Dynamic RangeSTOPSi

14 stops

14.7 stops← BEST +5%

Stabilizationi

5-axis Sensor-Shift (IBIS)

5-axis In-Body Image Stabilization

Sensor Sizei

35.6 x 23.8 mm (Full-Frame)

Full Frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm)

Lens MountiSAME

Yes

Megapixelsi

24.2 MP

33 MP

Maximum ISOiSAME

51,200

Sensor Shift StabilizationiSAME

Yes

Continuous Shootingi

7 fps (AF-S), 5 fps (AF-C)

10 fps

Phase Detection Autofocus For Photosi

Yes← BEST

Fastest Shutter Speedi

1/8000 sec

1/8000 s

Focus Pointsi

225

759 (Phase-detection)

Maximum Expanded ISOiSAME

204800

AF TrackingiSAME

Yes

Manual FocusiSAME

Yes

Touch AutofocusiSAME

Yes

Manual Shutter SpeediSAME

Yes

BSI SensoriSAME

Yes

Manual ExposureiSAME

Yes

Serial Shot ModeiSAME

Yes

CMOS SensoriSAME

Yes

Built In HDR ModeiSAME

Yes

Two Stage ShutteriSAME

Yes

Manual ISOiSAME

Yes

Flash Sync Speedi

1/250 sec

1/250 s

Manual White BalanceiSAME

Yes

Exposure Timei

60-1/8000 sec

—

Image Stabilization Ratingi

6.5

9.5← BEST +46%

Maximum Electronic Shutter Speedi

1/8000 sec

1/8000 s

Can Combine Image Stabilizationi

Yes (Dual I.S. 2)

Yes

Can Create Panoramas In CameraiSAME

Stacked Cmos SensoriSAME

USB SupportediSAME

Yes

USB Versioni

3.2 Gen 1

3.2 Gen 2

Pixel Size ( Main Camera )i

5.94 µm

5.09 µm

Build QualityiSAME

8.5

Controlsi

8.5

9← BEST +6%

Autofocus Pointsi

7.5

9.5← BEST +27%

Image QualityiSAME

Video Qualityi

9← BEST +2%

8.8

Battery Lifei

7.5← BEST +7%

Low Light PerformanceiSAME

8.5

The Verdicti

The Panasonic Lumix S5 is an outstanding choice for videographers and hybrid shooters seeking a compact, full-frame camera with class-leading video features and excellent image quality. While its DFD

The Sony A7 IV is an exceptional hybrid camera, delivering professional-grade performance for both photography and videography, making it a top choice for serious creators.

Commentsi

—

Users consistently praise the A7 IV for its outstanding image quality, highly reliable autofocus, and advanced video features, though some note the menu system's complexity and the 4K 60p crop.

Overall RatingiSAME

8.7

Color Combinationi

10← BEST +2%

9.8

Video Recording ( Main Camera )i

4K 60p (APS-C crop), 4K 30p (full-frame)

4K 60p (Super 35) / 4K 30p (Full-frame)

Phase Detection Autofocus For Videosi

Yes← BEST

Microphone InputiSAME

Yes

Audio JackiSAME

Yes

Timelapse FunctioniSAME

Yes

Movie Bit Ratei

200 Mbps

600 Mbps

24p Cinema ModeiSAME

Yes

Supports Slow Motion Video RecordiSAME

Yes

Continuous Autofocus When Recording MoviesiSAME

Yes

Stereo MicrophoneiSAME

Yes

MicrophoneiSAME

Yes

Max VideoiSAME

4K 60p

Internal ColoriSAME

10-bit 4:2:2

ROW WINS

05 · WHICH ONE IS FOR YOU

Pick by persona

RE-RANKS LIVE AS YOU ADD OR REMOVE PRODUCTS

THE ALL-ROUNDER

Best overall

Panasonic Lumix S5PANASONIC8.7

ALL GROUPSEQUAL WEIGHT

Best total score across weighted category factors.

RUNNER-UP · Sony A7 IV (8.5)

FOR VALUE SEEKERS

Best bang for buck

Panasonic Lumix S5PANASONIC8.7

SCORE ÷ PRICELIVE PRICES

Strongest score-to-price ratio from the available price data.

RUNNER-UP · Sony A7 IV (0.3)

PRIORITY · VIDEO

Best for video

Panasonic Lumix S5PANASONIC9.0

VIDEO WEIGHTEDCONF 86%

Best visible score in the video category group.

RUNNER-UP · Sony A7 IV (0.0)

PRIORITY · THE VERDICT

Best for the verdict

Panasonic Lumix S5PANASONIC8.7

THE VERDICT WEIGHTEDCONF 84%

Best visible score in the the verdict category group.

RUNNER-UP · Sony A7 IV (0.0)

06 · BOTTOM LINE

Why pick each

STRENGTHS · AND ONE HONEST TRADE-OFF

#1PANASONIC0.0

Panasonic Lumix S5

“The Panasonic Lumix S5 is a compact, full-frame mirrorless camera renowned for its exceptional video capabilities and robust image quality, ”

VIDEOGRAPHY 9.2

DOXMARK 9.0

Wins Image Quality

Wins Overall Rating

TRADE-OFFContrast-detect autofocus can struggle with tracking

BEST OVERALLBest price →

#2SONY0.0

Sony A7 IV

“The Sony A7 IV is a versatile full-frame mirrorless camera, excelling as a hybrid tool for both demanding photographers and videographers.”

Autofocus 9.5

DOXMARK 9.0

Wins AF Points

Wins Resolution

TRADE-OFF4K 60p video has a Super 35 crop

BEST FOR VALUEBest price →

Still deciding? The Panasonic Lumix S5 is the safest pick.

COMPOSITE 8.7/10 · WINS 4 OF 14 CATEGORIES

Buy the winner →

Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera vs Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera: which is better?

The Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera is our overall pick, scoring 8.7/10 against 8.5/10 for the Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera — a 2% edge. Current starting prices span $1,999–$2,499. The score weighs category-specific cameras attributes, spec wins, price signals, and data confidence — not sponsorships.

Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera leads overall with a 8.7 total score.
Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera wins 59 comparable specs with a 54% weighted win rate.
Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera has the strongest high-impact advantage in AF Points.
Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera has the best visible score-to-price balance based on available starting price.

Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless CameraWINNER 8.7/10

The Panasonic Lumix S5 is a compact, full-frame mirrorless camera renowned for its exceptional video capabilities and robust image quality, perfect for hybrid shooters.

Pros

+ Exceptional 4K 10-bit video capabilities
+ Excellent 5-axis in-body image stabilization
+ Superb image quality and dynamic range
+ Compact and lightweight full-frame design

Cons

− Contrast-detect autofocus can struggle with tracking
− 4K 60p video has an APS-C crop
− Electronic viewfinder resolution is modest

Best for: Professional videographers · Hybrid photo/video creators · Travel and documentary filmmakers

“Verdict: The Panasonic Lumix S5 is an outstanding choice for videographers and hybrid shooters seeking a compact, full-frame camera with class-leading video features and excellent image quality. While its DFD autofocus isn't the fastest…”

Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera8.5/10

The Sony A7 IV is a versatile full-frame mirrorless camera, excelling as a hybrid tool for both demanding photographers and videographers.

Pros

+ Excellent 33MP full-frame image quality
+ Advanced Real-time Tracking autofocus
+ Robust 4K 10-bit video capabilities
+ Effective 5-axis in-body stabilization

Cons

− 4K 60p video has a Super 35 crop
− Rolling shutter can be noticeable
− Menu system still complex for some

Best for: Hybrid Photo/Video Shooters · Professional Content Creators · Wedding and Event Photographers

“Verdict: The Sony A7 IV is an outstanding hybrid mirrorless camera that strikes an excellent balance between high-resolution stills and advanced video capabilities. It's a highly recommended choice for content creators and professionals…”

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera or Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera?

By ComparZone's weighted scoring of category-specific cameras specs, the Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera scores highest overall (8.7/10, 0.2 points ahead of the Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera). It is the better all-round pick, but the right choice depends on your priorities — the spec table above shows exactly where each one wins.

What are the main differences between Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera and Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera?

The biggest measurable differences are Sensor, AF Points, Resolution. The grouped spec sheet above marks the winner of every comparable spec.

Is the Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera better value than the Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera?

The Panasonic Lumix S5 Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera starts around $1,999 and the Sony A7 IV Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera around $2,499. Weigh the score gap against the price gap: a small score lead rarely justifies a large premium unless it comes from the specs you personally care about.

Can I compare other cameras on ComparZone?

Yes — ComparZone supports dynamic comparison pages for any 2 to 4 cameras from the same category, with verified specs, transparent scores, and live prices. See the related comparisons below or build your own from the category page.

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