Panasonic FH1 vs Sony RX1

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic FH1 and Sony RX1, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the FH1 (12MP) and RX1 (24MP) and the FH1 (1/2.3") and RX1 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FH1 was manufactured 4 years prior to the RX1 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH1 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX1 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a short highlight of how the FH1 scores versus the RX1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic FH1 Gallery and Sony RX1 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH1 offers physical measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 163 grams (0.36 lbs) and the Sony RX1 has measurements of 113mm x 65mm x 70mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 482 grams (1.06 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FH1 and Sony RX1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the FH1 vs the RX1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH1 and RX1 is 95 and 79 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions simply by checking technical specs. The pic underneath will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH1 and RX1.

As you can tell, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The FH1 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony RX1 will resolve more detail due to its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged FH1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.