Panasonic FH20 vs Sony A57

Here is a detailed analysis of the Panasonic FH20 and Sony A57, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FH20 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the FH20 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) use different sensor sizing.

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The FH20 was manufactured 3 years prior to the A57 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple view of how the FH20 matches up vs the A57 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 and Sony SLT-A57. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FH20 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH20 comes with outside dimensions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") having a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Sony A57 has measurements of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FH20 and Sony A57 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the FH20 vs the A57.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH20 and A57 is 93 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it can be hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing purely by checking out specs. The graphic here might give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH20 and A57.

All in all, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FH20 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A57 will provide more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older FH20 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.