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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Panasonic FH20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-224mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 100 x 56 x 28mm
  • Released January 2010
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FS30
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Announced August 2010
  • Replacement is Sony A57
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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 Overview

In this article, we will be evaluating the Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FH20 (14MP) and the A55 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the FH20 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) use totally different sensor measurements.

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The FH20 was released 7 months prior to the A55 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the FH20 grades against the A55 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH20 over the Sony A55

 FH20 A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Panasonic FH20

 A55 FH20 
AnnouncedAugust 2010January 2010More recent by 7 months
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Panasonic FH20 and Sony A55

 FH20 A55 
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH20 features outer measurements of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) and the Sony A55 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the FH20 compared to the A55.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH20 and A55 is 93 and 67 respectively.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its tough to see the gap in sensor measurements simply by checking out technical specs. The photograph here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the FH20 and A55.

As you can tell, both of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FH20 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A55 will show greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older FH20 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH20 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A55 as a Portrait photography camera
28
good MP (14MP)
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
73
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Street photography highlights
Sony A55 Street photography highlights
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
77
screen articulates fully
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FH20
Sports photography with Sony A55
34
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14MP)
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
68
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
low battery (380 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH20 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A55 as a Travel photography camera
64
good MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
62
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
lack of Time Lapse mode
low battery (380 per charge)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A55 Landscape photography highlights
37
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
missing Timelapse recording
67
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
low battery (380 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH20 Vlogging highlights
Sony A55 Vlogging highlights
28
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone port
78
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic port
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Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH20 and Sony A55
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 Sony SLT-A55
Other name Lumix DMC-FS30 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2010-01-06 2010-08-24
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-224mm (8.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.80 m (Auto ISO) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 178 grams (0.39 pounds) 500 grams (1.10 pounds)
Dimensions 100 x 56 x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 816
Other
Battery life - 380 photos
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $179 $800