Panasonic FH27 vs Sony A77

In this article, we will be evaluating the Panasonic FH27 and Sony A77, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a significant difference among the image resolutions of the FH27 (16MP) and A77 (24MP) and the FH27 (1/2.3") and A77 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The FH27 was revealed 9 months before the A77 which means that they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH27 being a Compact camera and the Sony A77 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the FH27 matches up versus the A77 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH27 and Sony SLT-A77. The full galleries are available at Panasonic FH27 Gallery and Sony A77 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH27 offers outside measurements of 99mm x 57mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") along with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony A77 has sizing of 143mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 732 grams (1.61 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FH27 and Sony A77 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the FH27 and the A77.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the FH27 and A77 is 94 and 59 respectively.

Oftentimes, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor measurements just by looking through technical specs. The photograph below will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH27 and A77.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FH27 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A77 will render extra detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older FH27 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.