Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100

Here is a in depth comparison of the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A100, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and A100 (10MP) and the FH5 (1/2.3") and A100 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor size.

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The FH5 was announced 4 years later than the A100 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise summary of how the FH5 scores vs the A100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH5 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH5 provides exterior dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") along with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) while the Sony A100 has measurements of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") along with a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

See the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the FH5 vs the A100.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH5 and A100 is 96 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to see the contrast between sensor sizing only by looking at specs. The visual below will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH5 and A100.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FH5 with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic FH5 will resolve extra detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The fresher FH5 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.