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Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850

Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
23
Overall
32
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 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
  • Launched January 2013
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Raise to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Revealed April 2010
Photography Glossary

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 Overview

Its time to examine more closely at the Panasonic F5 versus Sony A850, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the F5 (14MP) and A850 (25MP) and the F5 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) possess totally different sensor measurements.

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The F5 was announced 2 years after the A850 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic F5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the F5 grades vs the A850 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic F5 over the Sony A850

 F5 A850 
RevealedJanuary 2013April 2010More modern by 34 months

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Panasonic F5

 A850 F5 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic F5 and Sony A850

 F5 A850 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to carry around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic F5 has got outside dimensions of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") along with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") and a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic F5 versus Sony A850 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Here is the front view scale comparison of the F5 against the A850.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the F5 and A850 is 96 and 54 respectively.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is tough to visualise the difference between sensor sizes merely by reading through technical specs. The pic here should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the F5 and A850.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The F5 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A850 will give greater detail with its extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The more modern F5 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic F5 Portrait photography information
Sony A850 Portrait photography information
29
resolution is good (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
72
has manual focus
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
doesn't have liveview
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Street Comparison

Panasonic F5 Street photography highlights
Sony A850 Street photography highlights
56
lighter than competition (121 grams)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic F5 Sports photography advice
Sony A850 Sports photography advice
33
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic F5 Travel photography advice
Sony A850 Travel photography advice
68
lighter than competition (121 grams)
resolution is good (14MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
55
environment proofing
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
no Time Lapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic F5 Landscape photography features
Sony A850 Landscape photography features
33
decently wide (28mm)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
does not have image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
environment proofing
has dual storage slots
doesn't have liveview
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic F5 Vlogging features
Sony A850 Vlogging features
28
decently wide (28mm)
lighter than competition (121 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external mic support
9
no video recording
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Panasonic F5 vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic F5 and Sony A850
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Class Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Launched 2013-01-07 2010-04-15
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 25 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4320 x 3240 6048 x 4032
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.2-6.5 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT LCD TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.70 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format 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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 121g (0.27 pounds) 895g (1.97 pounds)
Dimensions 97 x 58 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 1415
Other
Battery life 250 shots 880 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Two
Retail cost $100 $0