Clicky

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230

Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
23
Overall
32
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 Key Specs

Panasonic F5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.2-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 97 x 58 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2013
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Introduced May 2009
  • Superseded the Sony A200
  • Later Model is Sony A290
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Panasonic F5 versus Sony A230, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the F5 (14MP) and A230 (10MP) and the F5 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizing.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The F5 was announced 3 years after the A230 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic F5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the F5 scores versus the A230 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic F5 over the Sony A230

 F5 A230 
IntroducedJanuary 2013May 2009More modern by 45 months

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Panasonic F5

 A230 F5 
Focus manually Very precise focus

Common features in the Panasonic F5 and Sony A230

 F5 A230 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension2.7"2.7"Identical screen measurement
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera often, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic F5 features physical measurements of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") along with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Sony A230 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

See the Panasonic F5 versus Sony A230 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the F5 versus the A230.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the F5 and A230 is 96 and 69 respectively.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes merely by going through specs. The image underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the F5 and A230.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The F5 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Panasonic F5 will show extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more recent F5 provides an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic F5 Portrait photography factors
Sony A230 Portrait photography factors
29
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
54
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
sensor resolution low (10MP)
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Street photography camera
Sony A230 as a Street photography camera
56
lighter than average (121g)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen does not articulate
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A230 as a Sports photography camera
33
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
features tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
46
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
terrible battery power (230 CIPA)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Panasonic F5 Travel photography factors
Sony A230 Travel photography factors
68
lighter than average (121 grams)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.2)
45
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse recording
terrible battery power (230 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A230 as a Landscape photography camera
33
rather wide (28mm)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
51
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
tiny screen (2.7")
no liveview feature
sensor resolution low (10MP)
terrible battery power (230 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic F5 Vlogging info
Sony A230 Vlogging info
28
rather wide (28mm)
lighter than average (121 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic port
9
can't record video
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic F5 and Sony A230
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2013-01-07 2009-05-18
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 3872 x 2592
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.2-6.5 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 5.70 m 10.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 121 gr (0.27 pounds) 490 gr (1.08 pounds)
Dimensions 97 x 58 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 63
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.4
DXO Low light score not tested 531
Other
Battery life 250 shots 230 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $100 $569