Panasonic FH25 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

Let's take a closer look at the Panasonic FH25 and Sigma SD1 Merrill, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sigma. The resolution of the FH25 (16MP) and the SD1 Merrill (15MP) is relatively similar but the FH25 (1/2.3") and SD1 Merrill (APS-C) provide totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FH25 was manufactured 15 months prior to the SD1 Merrill which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH25 being a Compact camera and the Sigma SD1 Merrill being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the FH25 matches up versus the SD1 Merrill when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH25 & Sigma SD1 Merrill. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH25 Gallery & Sigma SD1 Merrill Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH25 enjoys external dimensions of 99mm x 57mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Sigma SD1 Merrill has sizing of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FH25 and Sigma SD1 Merrill in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the FH25 compared to the SD1 Merrill.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the FH25 and SD1 Merrill is 94 and 57 respectively.

In many cases, it can be tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizing just by going over technical specs. The graphic here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH25 and SD1 Merrill.

As you have seen, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FH25 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic FH25 will offer you extra detail due to its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older FH25 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.