Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A850

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.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The complete galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH20 Gallery & Sony A850 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.