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Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6

Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
23
Overall
32
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-6 front
Portability
85
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64

Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 Key Specs

Panasonic F5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.2-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 97 x 58 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2013
Sony NEX-6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 345g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Announced March 2013
  • Replacement is Sony A6000
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Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 Overview

In this write-up, we are reviewing the Panasonic F5 versus Sony NEX-6, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the F5 (14MP) and the NEX-6 (16MP) is fairly similar but the F5 (1/2.3") and NEX-6 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The F5 was brought out 2 months earlier than the NEX-6 so they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic F5 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the F5 grades against the NEX-6 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic F5 over the Sony NEX-6

 F5 NEX-6 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-6 over the Panasonic F5

 NEX-6 F5 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic F5 and Sony NEX-6

 F5 NEX-6 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013March 2013Similar generation
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic F5 provides outside measurements of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) while the Sony NEX-6 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic F5 versus Sony NEX-6 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the F5 vs the NEX-6.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the F5 and NEX-6 is 96 and 85 respectively.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing simply by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the F5 and NEX-6.

As you can see, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The F5 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Sony NEX-6 will deliver more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics a little more aggressively.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 sensor size comparison

Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Portrait photography camera
29
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
74
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic F5 Street photography details
Sony NEX-6 Street photography details
56
lighter than competitors (121g)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
78
tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lighter than competitors (345g)
very good high ISO (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Sports photography camera
33
MP count good (14 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
66
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Travel photography camera
68
lighter than competitors (121 grams)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
75
lighter than competitors (345g)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic F5 Landscape photography details
Sony NEX-6 Landscape photography details
33
decently wide (28mm)
MP count good (14MP)
lack of manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual control
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
missing Time Lapse recording
75
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-6 as a Vlogging camera
28
decently wide (28mm)
lighter than competitors (121 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
does not contain selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic port
32
has face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (345 grams)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone port
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Panasonic F5 vs Sony NEX-6 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic F5 and Sony NEX-6
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5Sony Alpha NEX-6
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 Sony Alpha NEX-6
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-01-07 2013-03-25
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 99
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.2-6.5 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT LCD Xtra Fine LCD with Tilt Up 90� and Down 45�
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.70 m 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 121g (0.27 lbs) 345g (0.76 lbs)
Dimensions 97 x 58 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 78
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 1018
Other
Battery life 250 photos 360 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $100 $365