Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A330

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A330, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and A330 (10MP) and the FH5 (1/2.3") and A330 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FH5 was manufactured 20 months later than the A330 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A330 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a simple summary of how the FH5 scores vs the A330 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A330. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic FH5 Gallery and Sony A330 Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH5 provides outer measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") and a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Sony A330 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 529 grams (1.17 lbs).

See the Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A330 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select at the time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the FH5 against the A330.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the FH5 and A330 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Usually, it is very tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing purely by reviewing specifications. The photograph below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the FH5 and A330.

Plainly, both of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FH5 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Panasonic FH5 will offer you extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a little more aggressively. The newer FH5 should have an edge in sensor tech.