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Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5

Portability
69
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Canon PowerShot SX520 HS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
31
Overall
35

Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 Key Specs

Canon SX520 HS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1008mm (F3.4-6.0) lens
  • 441g - 120 x 82 x 92mm
  • Introduced July 2014
  • Previous Model is Canon SX510 HS
  • Replacement is Canon SX530 HS
Panasonic FH5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2011
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FS18
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Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 Overview

Following is a detailed assessment of the Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Canon and Panasonic. The resolution of the SX520 HS (16MP) and the FH5 (16MP) is relatively similar and both cameras boast the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The SX520 HS was announced 3 years after the FH5 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short summary of how the SX520 HS grades versus the FH5 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX520 HS over the Panasonic FH5

 SX520 HS FH5 
IntroducedJuly 2014January 2011More modern by 44 months
Manually focus More accurate focus
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution461k230kSharper screen (+231k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Canon SX520 HS

 FH5 SX520 HS 

Common features in the Canon SX520 HS and Panasonic FH5

 SX520 HS FH5 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and measurements. The Canon SX520 HS comes with external measurements of 120mm x 82mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 3.6") along with a weight of 441 grams (0.97 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH5 has proportions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the SX520 HS compared to the FH5.

Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SX520 HS and FH5 is 69 and 96 respectively.

Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizes just by reviewing specs. The picture underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the SX520 HS and FH5.

All in all, the 2 cameras feature the identical sensor size and the same exact megapixels therefore you should expect similar quality of photographs but you need to factor the production date of the products into consideration. The more modern SX520 HS provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 sensor size comparison

Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX520 HS Portrait photography features
Panasonic FH5 Portrait photography features
44
focusing manually
decent MP (16MP)
provides face detection autofocus
no external flash support
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
34
MP count good (16MP)
supports face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Canon SX520 HS Street photography info
Panasonic FH5 Street photography info
46
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes touch focus
lighter than others in class (121 grams)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon SX520 HS
Sports photography with Panasonic FH5
45
incredible zoom range (24-1008mm 42.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
max fps low (2.0 frames/s)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery power (210 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX520 HS Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH5 Travel photography advice
55
decent MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
really wide (24mm)
very long reach (1008mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
low battery power (210 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
71
lighter than others in class (121g)
includes touch focus
MP count good (16MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon SX520 HS
Landscape photography with Panasonic FH5
45
focusing manually
really wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
low battery power (210 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
38
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX520 HS as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FH5 as a Vlogging camera
29
really wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.4)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic port
33
relatively wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
lighter than others in class (121g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic jack
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Canon SX520 HS vs Panasonic FH5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX520 HS and Panasonic FH5
 Canon PowerShot SX520 HSPanasonic Lumix DMC-FH5
General Information
Brand Canon Panasonic
Model Canon PowerShot SX520 HS Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5
Also called - Lumix DMC-FS18
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2014-07-29 2011-01-05
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 4+ Venus Engine IV
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-1008mm (42.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.4-6.0 f/3.1-6.5
Macro focus range 0cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 461k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 15s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.50 m 3.30 m
Flash modes Auto, on, off, slow synchro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 441 gr (0.97 pounds) 121 gr (0.27 pounds)
Physical dimensions 120 x 82 x 92mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 3.6") 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 210 photos 260 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NB-6LH -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $219 $169