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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 front
Portability
64
Imaging
48
Features
38
Overall
44

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 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
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-FS18
Sony A100
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
  • Introduced July 2006
  • Superseded the Konica Minolta 5D
  • Refreshed by Sony A550
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Sony A100

 FH5 A100 
IntroducedJanuary 2011July 2006Fresher by 54 months
Display dimensions2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")

Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Panasonic FH5

 A100 FH5 
Focus manually Very accurate focus

Common features in the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A100

 FH5 A100 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 size comparison

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

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 Sensor Comparison

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.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic FH5
Portrait photography with Sony A100
34
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
52
manual focus
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have liveview
MP count low (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Street photography highlights
Sony A100 Street photography highlights
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with focus via touch
lighter than competition (121g)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
64
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Sports photography information
Sony A100 Sports photography information
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
slow fps (4.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
low fps (3.0 fps)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Travel photography info
Sony A100 Travel photography info
71
lighter than competition (121g)
comes with focus via touch
good resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
45
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
MP count low (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A100 Landscape photography highlights
38
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no manual exposure
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
missing Time Lapse recording
53
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
small screen (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
MP count low (10 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Vlogging factors
Sony A100 Vlogging factors
33
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
lighter than competition (121g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not offer selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic socket
9
no video recording
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH5 and Sony A100
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
Also called as Lumix DMC-FS18 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2011-01-05 2006-07-31
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine IV -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7" 2.5"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.30 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 121 grams (0.27 lbs) 638 grams (1.41 lbs)
Physical dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 61
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.2
DXO Low light score not tested 476
Other
Battery life 260 shots -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model - NP-FM55H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $169 $1,000