Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-5

The following is a in-depth assessment of the Panasonic FH2 and Sony NEX-5, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FH2 (14MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the FH2 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The FH2 was unveiled 8 months after the NEX-5 and they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FH2 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a full comparison, here is a brief summation of how the FH2 scores vs the NEX-5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2 and Sony Alpha NEX-5. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FH2 Gallery and Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH2 provides physical dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") along with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) while the Sony NEX-5 has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH2 and Sony NEX-5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the FH2 vs the NEX-5.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH2 and NEX-5 is 96 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions just by seeing technical specs. The pic here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH2 and NEX-5.

As you can tell, both cameras come with the identical megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The FH2 contains the smaller sensor which should make getting shallow DOF tougher. The younger FH2 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.