Panasonic FH3 vs Sony A900

Below is a detailed overview of the Panasonic FH3 and Sony A900, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the FH3 (14MP) and A900 (25MP) and the FH3 (1/2.3") and A900 (Full frame) use different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FH3 was manufactured 15 months later than the A900 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving in to a complete comparison, below is a short introduction of how the FH3 grades vs the A900 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A900. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic FH3 Gallery & Sony A900 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic FH3 comes with external measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs) and the Sony A900 has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

See the Panasonic FH3 and Sony A900 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the FH3 compared to the A900.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the FH3 and A900 is 94 and 54 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the FH3 and A900.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FH3 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A900 will give greater detail due to its extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures far more aggressively. The more recent FH3 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.