Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A55

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.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 & Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FH20 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.