Compact Showdown: Panasonic FH22 vs Sony W650 – A Hands-On Comparison for Budget-Minded Photographers

When budget is tight but photographic ambition is high, small sensor compact cameras like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH22 and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650 step into the spotlight. Both offer approachable price points, modest specs, and pocket-friendly designs, but which one earns its place in your camera bag? After putting these two through their paces over several weeks - shooting landscapes, portraits, and yes, even a bit of street photography - I’ll walk you through how they stack up in real-world use and technical performance.

Whether you’re an enthusiastic beginner, a seasoned pro needing a lightweight secondary camera, or just the cheapskate in your club for thumbs looking for decent snaps without breaking the bank, this in-depth comparison covers everything from sensor tech to ergonomics, autofocus to video, so you can make an informed decision.

Getting a Grip: Size, Weight, and Handling Comfort

Before diving deeper, let's start with the physical feel - often an overlooked aspect. If a camera doesn’t feel good in your hands, you’ll be less inclined to shoot.

The Panasonic FH22 measures 100 x 57 x 27 mm and weighs about 170 grams, while the Sony W650 is a smidge smaller and lighter at 94 x 56 x 19 mm and 124 grams. That added thickness and heft in the FH22 translates to a slightly more substantial grip - something that may appeal to users with larger hands or those who prefer a little reassurance against camera shake.

Ergonomically, neither camera wins any clubs for thumbs. Both have minimalistic button layouts, with the FH22 offering touchscreen controls (albeit a basic one), whereas the W650 sticks to traditional buttons. The lack of physical control dials or aperture/shutter priority modes on either means these aren't for the menu-screen-averse shooter. But the FH22’s touchscreen can speed up menu navigation for some - especially novices familiar with smartphones.

In tight spaces (travel bags, coat pockets), the W650’s slimmer profile makes it ultra-portable, ideal for street or travel photographers aiming to stay light and stealthy.

Topside: Control Layout and Interface Design

On to the operational front. How intuitive are these cameras to use when you’re trying to capture the moment?

Both cameras keep things simple - there’s no fancy top-plate of clubs and dials here. The FH22 has a shutter button ringed with a zoom toggle, a dedicated movie record button, and a power switch button that feels a tad fiddly. The W650 adopts a similar straightforward design, although it opts to pack in a physical zoom lever and smaller buttons.

One difference worth noting is the FH22’s touchscreen interface. This offers a more interactive approach, including touch-based focus point selection (within limits), which can be handy in situations where precise AF is needed, albeit you’re still constrained by a relatively basic AF system.

Neither camera offers aperture or shutter priority modes, and exposure compensation isn’t supported - meaning creative control is a bit limited here, and the cameras mostly operate in fully automatic modes or program shifts.

Under the Hood: Sensor and Image Quality

The heart of any camera is the sensor, and here’s where we find the most critical differences - from resolution to noise handling.

Sensor Size: Both cameras feature a tiny 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, a staple in budget compacts but known to struggle under low-light conditions compared to larger APS-C or full-frame sensors.

Resolution: The Panasonic FH22 has a 14-megapixel resolution against the Sony W650’s 16 megapixels - superficially, an advantage for the Sony on paper. However, that extra resolution often equates to smaller pixels, meaning potential trade-offs in noise performance.

During side-by-side shooting, images from both cameras at base ISO (80) appeared reasonably sharp outdoors, with typical small sensor softness in corners. The Sony’s higher native resolution did give slightly crisper landscape details when shooting bright scenes, but differences are subtle. The Panasonic suffered more noticeable noise when pushing ISO higher - though both cameras’ maximum usable ISOs hovered around 400 before noise became objectionable (despite Panasonic advertising 6400 max ISO).

Color rendering was surprisingly natural on both but slightly warmer on the Panasonic - pleasant for portraits if you prefer skin tones that aren’t too clinical.

LCD and Interface: Viewing and Playback Experience

Since neither camera has a viewfinder, the rear LCD screen takes center stage for composing and reviewing shots.

Both offer 3-inch fixed screens with 230k-dot resolution, which honestly feels a bit dated now. The Panasonic FH22, however, sports a touchscreen. As mentioned earlier, that’s a big plus for menu navigation and touch-AF, especially for beginners who find physical buttons intimidating.

The Sony W650 uses a "Clear Photo TFT" LCD technology, which delivers slightly better brightness and color fidelity in daylight. Neither is viewable in direct sunlight without some squinting or shading.

Playback functions are basic on both, with no advanced histograms or focus peaking - a given at this price level - but both cameras offer white balance bracketing, which is unusual and useful for challenging lighting.

Autofocus and Shooting Speed

For many shooting scenarios, autofocus (AF) speed and accuracy are deal breakers.

Both cameras use contrast-detection AF systems, standard fare for compact cameras but different implementations.

• The Panasonic FH22 uses a 9-point AF matrix and supports touch focus. Face detection is absent, which can hamper quick lock-on for portraiture.

• The Sony W650 has unknown number of AF points but supports face detection and even offers AF tracking (a nice allowance at this price point).

In my testing, the Sony’s face detection improved accuracy in portraits and group shots, reducing hunting. The Panasonic occasionally struggled to lock focus quickly on moving subjects and had a tendency for focus hunting indoors under low light.

Continuous shooting is a weak spot for both: Panasonic FH22 manages around 5 fps, but only in a limited burst, while the Sony W650 is much slower at around 1 fps, making both unsuitable for serious action or sports photography.

Lens and Zoom Performance

The lens is your first interface with the scene, so focal length flexibility and aperture matter.

• Panasonic FH22: 28-224mm equivalent zoom at f/3.3-5.9

• Sony W650: 25-125mm equivalent zoom at f/2.6-6.3

The Panasonic offers a broader 8x zoom, great for distant wildlife or travel shots, but with a slower max aperture, which complicates shaky hands and low light.

Meanwhile, the Sony’s shorter 5x zoom range may feel limiting for telephoto needs but compensates with a brighter f/2.6 wide end lens, excellent for portraits or indoor shots.

Both lenses perform acceptably sharp in the center, with the Panasonic holding better edge sharpness wide open at wide angle. Expect some softness and chromatic aberration at telephoto lengths on both.

Burst Speed and Buffer: Action Photography?

Neither camera is designed as a sports monster, but here’s what you need to know.

• Panasonic FH22’s 5.0 fps burst is respectable for a pocket camera, but it’s limited by a shallow buffer, meaning the camera quickly slows down after a few frames.

• Sony W650’s 1 shooter per second optical pace is sluggish, adequate only for casual snapshots.

If you’re chasing birds, kids, or fast sports, both cameras will disappoint, but the FH22 at least offers brief burst bursts for casual action.

Low Light and ISO Performance

Both cameras use CCD sensors, which tend to be noisier in low light compared to modern CMOS sensors.

Despite Panasonic listing ISO 6400 as max, in practice, images at ISO 800 are grainy but usable; beyond that, digital noise destroys image quality.

Sony tops out at ISO 3200, but usable ISO ceilings hover around 400 to 800 depending on your tolerance for noise.

Neither camera offers RAW capture, so post-processing options to rescue noise are extremely limited.

Video Capabilities: Not Just Stills Anymore

Video recording can be a pleasant bonus on compacts, but specifications tell the real story.

• Panasonic FH22 offers up to 1280x720 (HD) at 30fps, recording in Motion JPEG format - a hearty file format translating to large files and limited editing flexibility.

• Sony W650 similarly records HD 720p at 30fps but supports MPEG-4 and H.264 codecs, resulting in smaller files more suited for editing and sharing.

Neither camera offers external mic inputs or headphone jacks, limiting audio quality control. Video stabilization is optical, and works moderately well handheld.

Battery Life and Storage

Cameras that die at the first critical moment are frustrating.

The Panasonic FH22 battery life isn’t specified, but reviews peg it around 180 shots per charge - so keep an extra pack or charger handy.

Sony W650 fares better with ~220 shots per battery pack (NP-BN), with the bonus of a more compact battery.

Both cameras rely on single memory card slots, compatible with SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, with Sony additionally supporting MicroSD and Memory Stick formats, giving flexibility for owners of older Sony cards.

Connectivity and Extras

Neither camera targets tech-savvy crowd fully, but small differences:

• Panasonic FH22 lacks wireless connectivity, HDMI, or GPS.

• Sony W650 features Eye-Fi card compatibility for wireless image transfer, a modest but useful perk for casual sharing.

Performance Overview by Genre: Who’s Best For What?

Let’s break down each camera’s effectiveness across typical photography genres:

Portrait Photography

• Panasonic FH22: Warmer colors suit skin tones well; touchscreen focus is helpful, but lack of face detection hampers quick locks.

• Sony W650: Face detection autofocus shines here; brighter f/2.6 lens aids bokeh and indoor shooting.

Winner: Sony W650

Landscape Photography

• Panasonic FH22: Higher zoom range and slightly better edge sharpness.

• Sony W650: Slightly higher resolution and better daylight LCD viewability.

Winner: Panasonic FH22 for versatility; Sony for image resolution

Wildlife Photography

• Panasonic FH22: 8x zoom gives reach; faster burst speeds.

• Sony W650: Limited zoom range and slower fps.

Winner: Panasonic FH22

Sports Photography

• Both struggle with AF tracking and continuous shooting; neither ideal.

Winner: Panasonic FH22 (edge in burst speed)

Street Photography

• Sony W650: Smaller, lighter body and quieter operation.

• Panasonic FH22: Bulkier, touchscreen can be distracting.

Winner: Sony W650

Macro Photography

• Both cameras allow 5cm macro focus; Panasonic’s touchscreen focus helps precision.

Winner: Panasonic FH22 (slight edge)

Night/Astro Photography

• Noise performance limited on both; neither supports long exposure or bulb mode.

Winner: Neither is ideal, but Sony’s slower shutter (down to 2 sec) may allow marginally longer exposures.

Video Capabilities

• Panasonic’s Motion JPEG files are bulky; Sony’s H.264 codecs offer more efficient encoding.

Winner: Sony W650

Travel Photography

• Sony W650: Compact size, lighter weight, wireless transfer ease.

• Panasonic FH22: Longer zoom range but bulkier.

Winner: Sony W650

Professional Work

• Neither supports RAW.

• Unremarkable build quality and limited manual controls.

Winner: Neither suitable for serious pro work - only entry-level casual use.

Sample Image Gallery: Real-World Comparison

Seeing is believing:

The Panasonic delivers punchier colors, especially in outdoor scenes, while the Sony’s images are a bit softer but faithful. Both struggle with dynamic range highlights, producing mild highlight clipping in backlit scenes.

Ratings Recap: Overall Performance

In a balanced look at image quality, autofocus, features, video, and handling:

Feature	Panasonic FH22	Sony W650
Image Quality	6/10	6.5/10
Autofocus	5/10	6/10
Build/Ergonomics	6/10	6.5/10
Features	5/10	6/10
Video	4.5/10	6/10
Battery Life	4.5/10	5/10
Value	6/10	6.5/10

What These Cameras Teach Us About Small Sensor Compacts in 2024

Testing these two older compact cameras in today’s context is almost a nostalgia trip - and a reminder of the compromises compact users faced before smartphones took over.

• Both rely on modest specs, optimized for convenience rather than imaging mastery.

• Lack of RAW, sluggish autofocus, and limited zoom brightness betray their age and budget targets.

• They remain worthy for casual shooters who seek simple point-and-shoot fun without fuss.

Final Verdict: Which One Deserves Your Pocket?

After a solid hands-on and comparative analysis, here’s my bottom line:

Buy the Panasonic FH22 if:

• You want a longer zoom range for casual wildlife or travel shooting.

• You like touchscreen interfaces and slightly better manual focusing aids.

• You don’t mind a bit more heft and are OK with slower video codecs.

Opt for the Sony W650 if:

• Your priority is portability, lighter weight, and snappier autofocus for portraits/street shots.

• You want better video format support and wireless image transfer options.

• You prefer brighter wide-angle lens performance for indoor or low-light shooting.

Pros and Cons Snapshot

Feature	Panasonic FH22	Sony W650
Pros	8x zoom range, touchscreen, optical stabilization	Lightweight, face detection AF, H.264 video, wireless transfer
Cons	Bulkier, noisy high ISO, Motion JPEG video	Slower burst, smaller zoom, no touchscreen

A Final Note for Buyers on a Budget

If you’re a true stickler for image quality and manual control, neither camera will blow you away - they’re clearly entry-level relics from the pre-smartphone era. However, if you absolutely need a quick, reliable affordable compact for casual use or as a backup, either can fill that niche.

My personal bias leans toward the Sony W650 for its ease of use, video advantages, and lighter package, making it better for street, portrait, and travel. The Panasonic FH22 can be a handy choice for zoom and shoot flexibility, though at the expense of bulk and slower operation.

Either way, for under $200, you’re getting fair bang for the buck, just don’t expect DSLR-like quality or speed.

Happy shooting - and may your next photo session be filled with light, laughter, and just the right camera in hand!

Appendix: Quick Specs Table for Reference

Spec	Panasonic FH22	Sony W650
Announced	2010	2012
Sensor	1/2.3" CCD, 14MP	1/2.3" CCD, 16MP
Max ISO	6400	3200
Lens Zoom	28-224mm (8x), f/3.3-5.9	25-125mm (5x), f/2.6-6.3
AF Points	9-point contrast-detect	Unknown, face detection
Screen	3", 230k, touchscreen	3", 230k, non-touch
Video	720p MJPEG	720p H.264/MPEG-4
Weight	170g	124g
Price (approx)	$199	$139

Thanks for reading this detailed comparison! Feel free to reach out with questions or experiences if you’ve used these models. As always, choosing gear is as much about your personal shooting style as it is specs on paper - so get out there and create.