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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R IV front
Portability
62
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV Key Specs

Panasonic FH5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FS18
Sony A7R IV
(Full Review)
  • 61MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Expand to 102800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 665g - 129 x 96 x 78mm
  • Introduced July 2019
  • Earlier Model is Sony A7R III
  • Refreshed by Sony A7R V
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Panasonic FH5 versus Sony A7R IV, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and A7R IV (61MP) and the FH5 (1/2.3") and A7R IV (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The FH5 was announced 9 years prior to the A7R IV and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7R IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the FH5 grades against the A7R IV when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Sony A7R IV

 FH5 A7R IV 

Reasons to pick Sony A7R IV over the Panasonic FH5

 A7R IV FH5 
IntroducedJuly 2019January 2011More recent by 103 months
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kSharper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A7R IV

 FH5 A7R IV 
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH5 enjoys outer dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R IV has measurements of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") with a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FH5 versus Sony A7R IV in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the FH5 versus the A7R IV.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH5 and A7R IV is 96 and 62 respectively.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to imagine the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH5 and A7R IV.

As you can see, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FH5 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony A7R IV will deliver extra detail with its extra 45 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older FH5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Portrait photography info
Sony A7R IV Portrait photography info
34
decent MP (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual exposure
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
88
focusing manually
sensor resolution is fantastic (61MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides face detection focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FH5
Street photography with Sony A7R IV
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides focus via touch
lighter than competition (121 grams)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
79
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
supports RAW files
features focus by touch
weather sealing
great ISO range (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FH5
Sports photography with Sony A7R IV
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
90
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is fantastic (61 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
weather sealing
good battery pack (670 shots)
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Travel photography details
Sony A7R IV Travel photography details
71
lighter than competition (121 grams)
provides focus via touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
74
good battery pack (670 shots)
weather sealing
has bluetooth
features focus by touch
sensor resolution is fantastic (61MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A7R IV as a Landscape photography camera
38
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Timelapse recording
88
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is fantastic (61 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
great ISO range (32,000)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
good battery pack (670 shots)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH5 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7R IV as a Vlogging camera
33
really wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competition (121 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone jack
37
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic support
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A7R IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH5 and Sony A7R IV
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5Sony Alpha A7R IV
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 Sony Alpha A7R IV
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-FS18 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-01-05 2019-07-16
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine IV Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 61MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 9504 x 6336
Highest native ISO 6400 32000
Highest enhanced ISO - 102800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 567
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 5,760k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.30 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync.
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 121 grams (0.27 lb) 665 grams (1.47 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 129 x 96 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 99
DXO Color Depth score not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.8
DXO Low light score not tested 3344
Other
Battery life 260 pictures 670 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots Single Dual
Launch pricing $169 $3,498