Panasonic FH20 vs Sony NEX-5N

Below is a thorough assessment of the Panasonic FH20 and Sony NEX-5N, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the FH20 (14MP) and the NEX-5N (16MP) is fairly close but the FH20 (1/2.3") and NEX-5N (APS-C) feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The FH20 was announced 21 months earlier than the NEX-5N making the cameras a generation apart from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise overview of how the FH20 matches up vs the NEX-5N when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 & Sony Alpha NEX-5N. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH20 Gallery & Sony NEX-5N Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH20 offers external measurements of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5N has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") along with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FH20 and Sony NEX-5N in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the FH20 compared to the NEX-5N.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH20 and NEX-5N is 93 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements only by looking through specs. The graphic below will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FH20 and NEX-5N.

All in all, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FH20 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-5N will provide you with more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively. The older FH20 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.