Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A300

On this page, we are reviewing the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A300, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and A300 (10MP) and the FH5 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The FH5 was revealed 2 years later than the A300 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the FH5 grades against the A300 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FH5 Gallery & Sony A300 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH5 has exterior measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) while the Sony A300 has proportions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A300 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the FH5 vs the A300.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the FH5 and A300 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Generally, it can be hard to see the gap in sensor sizing only by viewing a spec sheet. The visual here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the FH5 and A300.

As you can see, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FH5 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Panasonic FH5 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more recent FH5 will have an edge in sensor innovation.