Panasonic FH22 vs Sony A580

Lets examine more in depth at the Panasonic FH22 and Sony A580, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH22 (14MP) and the A580 (16MP) is fairly comparable but the FH22 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The FH22 was manufactured 16 months before the A580 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH22 being a Compact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple overview of how the FH22 scores against the A580 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH22 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH22 Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH22 comes with outer measurements of 100mm x 57mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 170 grams (0.37 lbs) whilst the Sony A580 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH22 and Sony A580 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the FH22 against the A580.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the FH22 and A580 is 94 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through a spec sheet. The graphic below may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the FH22 and A580.

As you can see, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FH22 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A580 will provide more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older FH22 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.