Panasonic FH2 vs Sony NEX-5R

The following is a in depth overview of the Panasonic FH2 and Sony NEX-5R, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH2 (14MP) and the NEX-5R (16MP) is fairly comparable but the FH2 (1/2.3") and NEX-5R (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FH2 was introduced 20 months earlier than the NEX-5R making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH2 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a detailed comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the FH2 matches up versus the NEX-5R with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2 & Sony Alpha NEX-5R. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic FH2 Gallery & Sony NEX-5R Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera often, you have to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH2 has outer dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5R has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH2 and Sony NEX-5R in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the FH2 compared to the NEX-5R.

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

More often than not, it's hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by checking out specs. The picture underneath should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the FH2 and NEX-5R.

All in all, both cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The FH2 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony NEX-5R will show greater detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos much more aggressively. The more aged FH2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.