Panasonic FH22 vs Sony NEX-5N

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Panasonic FH22 versus Sony NEX-5N, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH22 (14MP) and the NEX-5N (16MP) is relatively similar but the FH22 (1/2.3") and NEX-5N (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The FH22 was unveiled 21 months earlier than the NEX-5N which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH22 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the FH22 grades against the NEX-5N with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH22 & Sony Alpha NEX-5N. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH22 Gallery & Sony NEX-5N Gallery.

If you are planning to carry around your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH22 offers outer measurements of 100mm x 57mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") with a weight of 170 grams (0.37 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5N has sizing of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FH22 versus Sony NEX-5N in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the FH22 and the NEX-5N.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH22 and NEX-5N is 94 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes only by going over a spec sheet. The image underneath may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the FH22 and NEX-5N.

As you can see, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The FH22 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Sony NEX-5N will deliver more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged FH22 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.