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Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Panasonic FH2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 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 Known as Lumix DMC-FS16
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Launched June 2010
  • Refreshed by Sony NEX-C3
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Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Below, we are comparing the Panasonic FH2 and Sony NEX-3, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the FH2 (14MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the FH2 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The FH2 was introduced 8 months after the NEX-3 so they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH2 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the FH2 scores vs the NEX-3 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH2 over the Sony NEX-3

 FH2 NEX-3 
LaunchedJanuary 2011June 2010More modern by 8 months

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Panasonic FH2

 NEX-3 FH2 
Manually focus More exact focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH2 and Sony NEX-3

 FH2 NEX-3 
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH2 offers outer measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has sizing of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FH2 and Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the FH2 and the NEX-3.

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH2 and NEX-3 is 96 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes only by seeing technical specs. The picture below will offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the FH2 and NEX-3.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have got the exact same megapixel count but different sensor sizes. The FH2 provides the smaller sensor which is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier. The fresher FH2 should have an edge in sensor innovation.

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic FH2
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-3
33
decent MP (14MP)
provides face detect focus
no manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
72
has manual focus
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-3 Street photography highlights
67
image stabilization (Optical)
provides touch to focus
lighter than average (121 grams)
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Sports photography information
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography information
43
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
great battery pack (270 shots)
slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
52
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Travel photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Travel photography advice
72
great battery pack (270 per charge)
lighter than average (121 grams)
provides touch to focus
decent MP (14MP)
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
does not have selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
59
decent megapixels (14MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Landscape photography details
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography details
41
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
great battery pack (270 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Time Lapse function
68
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
decent megapixels (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Vlogging features
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging features
32
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focus
lighter than average (121 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not have selfie friendly screen
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic port
27
provides face detect autofocus
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic port
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Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH2 and Sony NEX-3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Also Known as Lumix DMC-FS16 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-01-05 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
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), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 121 gr (0.27 lb) 297 gr (0.65 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 68
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 830
Other
Battery life 270 photos 330 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $149 $0