Panasonic FH20 vs Sony RX10

Below, we will be looking at the Panasonic FH20 and Sony RX10, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the FH20 (14MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the FH20 (1/2.3") and RX10 (1") use totally different sensor sizes.

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The FH20 was manufactured 5 years earlier than the RX10 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the FH20 scores against the RX10 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FH20 Gallery and Sony RX10 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and dimensions. 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 RX10 has dimensions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") accompanied by a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FH20 and Sony RX10 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the FH20 versus the RX10.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the FH20 and RX10 is 93 and 58 respectively.

Usually, it is very difficult to envision the difference between sensor sizing only by checking specs. The visual below might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the FH20 and RX10.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FH20 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony RX10 will give more detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older FH20 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.