Panasonic FH3 vs Sony QX100

Here, we will be evaluating the Panasonic FH3 vs Sony QX100, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Lens-style by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the FH3 (14MP) and QX100 (20MP) and the FH3 (1/2.3") and QX100 (1") boast totally different sensor size.

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The FH3 was announced 4 years earlier than the QX100 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera and the Sony QX100 being a Lens-style camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a short summation of how the FH3 matches up versus the QX100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic FH3 Gallery and Sony QX100 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic FH3 offers exterior dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs) while the Sony QX100 has specifications of 63mm x 63mm x 56mm (2.5" x 2.5" x 2.2") accompanied by a weight of 179 grams (0.39 lbs).

See the Panasonic FH3 vs Sony QX100 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the FH3 vs the QX100.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH3 and QX100 is 94 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to envision the difference between sensor sizing only by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH3 and QX100.

As you can see, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FH3 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony QX100 will offer you more detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older FH3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.