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Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
33
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2 front
 
Sony SLT-A99 front
Portability
57
Imaging
69
Features
88
Overall
76

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 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
  • Announced January 2011
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-FS16
Sony A99
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 812g - 147 x 111 x 78mm
  • Launched December 2012
  • Older Model is Sony A900
  • Successor is Sony A99 II
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Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 Overview

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the FH2 (14MP) and A99 (24MP) and the FH2 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The FH2 was manufactured 23 months prior to the A99 making them a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH2 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the FH2 grades versus the A99 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH2 over the Sony A99

 FH2 A99 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 over the Panasonic FH2

 A99 FH2 
LaunchedDecember 2012January 2011Fresher by 23 months
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Panasonic FH2 and Sony A99

 FH2 A99 
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH2 enjoys outer 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 A99 has proportions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the FH2 and the A99.

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the FH2 and A99 is 96 and 57 respectively.

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing just by checking out a spec sheet. The visual here will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the FH2 and A99.

Clearly, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FH2 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh harder and the Sony A99 will produce extra detail due to its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics more aggressively. The older FH2 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH2 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A99 as a Portrait photography camera
33
resolution is good (14MP)
has face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
81
has manual focus
MP count decent (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detect focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Street photography details
Sony A99 Street photography details
67
image stabilization (Optical)
features focus via touch
lighter than competition in class (121g)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
75
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
above average high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Sports photography details
Sony A99 Sports photography details
43
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
great battery power (270 shots)
very slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
78
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
has phase detect auto focus
bad battery pack (500 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Travel photography features
Sony A99 Travel photography features
72
great battery power (270 per charge)
lighter than competition in class (121g)
features focus via touch
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
60
weather proofing
MP count decent (24MP)
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse mode
bad battery pack (500 CIPA)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH2 Landscape photography information
Sony A99 Landscape photography information
41
decently wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
great battery power (270 CIPA)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
74
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
two card slots
bad battery pack (500 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FH2
Vlogging with Sony A99
32
decently wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
lighter than competition in class (121g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic port
76
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has microphone socket
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Panasonic FH2 vs Sony A99 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH2 and Sony A99
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2Sony SLT-A99
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2 Sony SLT-A99
Other name Lumix DMC-FS16 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Announced 2011-01-05 2012-12-12
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4320 x 3240 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 19
Cross type focus points - 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.30 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 121 grams (0.27 lb) 812 grams (1.79 lb)
Physical dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 147 x 111 x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 89
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1555
Other
Battery life 270 photographs 500 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro-HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC
Card slots 1 Dual
Launch pricing $149 $1,998