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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 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
  • Revealed January 2010
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FS30
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Released June 2010
  • Successor is Sony NEX-C3
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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Panasonic FH20 versus Sony NEX-3, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH20 (14MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is pretty close but the FH20 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) feature different sensor sizes.

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The FH20 was manufactured 5 months earlier than the NEX-3 so they are of a similar generation. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the FH20 grades versus the NEX-3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH20 over the Sony NEX-3

 FH20 NEX-3 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Panasonic FH20

 NEX-3 FH20 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH20 and Sony NEX-3

 FH20 NEX-3 
ReleasedJanuary 2010June 2010Same generation
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic FH20 comes with external dimensions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") and a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Sony NEX-3 has specifications of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FH20 versus Sony NEX-3 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the FH20 and the NEX-3.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the FH20 and NEX-3 is 93 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions purely by viewing specifications. The picture below might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the FH20 and NEX-3.

To sum up, both the cameras have got the exact same MP albeit different sensor dimensions. The FH20 has the smaller sensor which should make obtaining shallow DOF tougher.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography information
28
good resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
72
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FH20
Street photography with Sony NEX-3
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
76
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Sports photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Sports photography advice
34
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14MP)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
52
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Travel photography features
Sony NEX-3 Travel photography features
64
good resolution (14MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
no Timelapse recording
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
59
decent megapixels (14MP)
no Timelapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Landscape photography highlights
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography highlights
37
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14MP)
no manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
no Timelapse recording
68
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no image stabilization
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Vlogging information
Sony NEX-3 Vlogging information
28
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone port
27
comes with face detection autofocus
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone socket
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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH20 and Sony NEX-3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Also called as Lumix DMC-FS30 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2010-01-06 2010-06-07
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4320 x 3240 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-224mm (8.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.80 m (Auto ISO) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 178 grams (0.39 pounds) 297 grams (0.65 pounds)
Dimensions 100 x 56 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 68
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.0
DXO Low light score not tested 830
Other
Battery life - 330 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Price at release $179 $0