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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 Key Specs

Panasonic FH20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-224mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 100 x 56 x 28mm
  • Introduced January 2010
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-FS30
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Released April 2010
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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Panasonic FH20 versus Sony A850, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the FH20 (14MP) and A850 (25MP) and the FH20 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The FH20 was released 3 months earlier than the A850 and they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the FH20 matches up against the A850 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH20 over the Sony A850

 FH20 A850 

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Panasonic FH20

 A850 FH20 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH20 and Sony A850

 FH20 A850 
ReleasedJanuary 2010April 2010Similar age
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you have to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH20 has outside measurements of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") and a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FH20 versus Sony A850 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have during that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the FH20 and the A850.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the FH20 and A850 is 93 and 54 respectively.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's tough to envision the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reviewing specs. The visual here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH20 and A850.

All in all, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FH20 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A850 will deliver more detail as a result of its extra 11 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH20 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A850 as a Portrait photography camera
28
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
72
manual focus
fantastic megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW files
doesn't have liveview
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Street photography details
Sony A850 Street photography details
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proof
screen does not articulate
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Sports photography features
Sony A850 Sports photography features
34
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
71
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
fantastic megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
environment proof
comes with phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH20 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A850 as a Travel photography camera
64
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
55
environment proof
fantastic megapixels (25MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Landscape photography details
Sony A850 Landscape photography details
37
pretty wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
73
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
fantastic megapixels (25 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proof
two card slots
doesn't have liveview
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Vlogging info
Sony A850 Vlogging info
28
pretty wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have mic socket
9
no video recording
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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH20 and Sony A850
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Alternate name Lumix DMC-FS30 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2010-01-06 2010-04-15
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 25 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4320 x 3240 6048 x 4032
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-224mm (8.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 98%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.80 m (Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
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 None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 178 grams (0.39 lb) 895 grams (1.97 lb)
Physical dimensions 100 x 56 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 1415
Other
Battery life - 880 shots
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Card slots Single Two
Launch pricing $179 $0