Panasonic FH3 vs Sony NEX-7

Below, we are analyzing the Panasonic FH3 versus Sony NEX-7, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the FH3 (14MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the FH3 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The FH3 was released 23 months earlier than the NEX-7 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summation of how the FH3 scores vs the NEX-7 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3 and Sony Alpha NEX-7. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FH3 Gallery and Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH3 has got 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) whilst the Sony NEX-7 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FH3 versus Sony NEX-7 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the FH3 compared to the NEX-7.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the FH3 and NEX-7 is 94 and 84 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The pic below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the FH3 and NEX-7.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The FH3 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-7 will deliver greater detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged FH3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.