Panasonic FH22 vs Sony A500

Here is a thorough assessment of the Panasonic FH22 versus Sony A500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the FH22 (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the FH22 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The FH22 was brought out 5 months later than the A500 and they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH22 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick view of how the FH22 grades against the A500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH22 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH22 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

When you are planning to carry your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH22 comes with outer measurements of 100mm x 57mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") along with a weight of 170 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Panasonic FH22 versus Sony A500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the FH22 against the A500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH22 and A500 is 94 and 63 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizing merely by going through specs. The graphic below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FH22 and A500.

All in all, each of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FH22 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic FH22 will show more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively.