Compact Convenience Meets DSLR Power: Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A560 – Which Camera Fits Your Vision?

As someone who’s tested thousands of cameras over the years - from blinky pro bodies to the smallest compacts - I know the real challenge often isn’t just what a camera can do on paper, but how it fits your shooting style, budget, and needs on the street, in the studio, or out in the wild. Today, we’re diving deep into a practical, hands-on comparison between two cameras that couldn’t be more different in their approach but might both appeal for different reasons. On one side, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5, a petite, budget-friendly point-and-shoot from early 2011, and on the other, the Sony Alpha DSLR-A560, a heftier entry-level DSLR from a similar vintage.

At first glance, these cameras are worlds apart - one’s a compact CCD fixed-lens camera, the other a DSLR with an APS-C sensor and interchangeable lenses. But with keen attention to detail, I’ve tested them across multiple genres to help you decide which finally deserves that spot in your camera bag. Let’s get into it.

Size, Feel, and Handling - The First Impression Matters

You might think ergonomics and size are straightforward on a compact versus DSLR scale, but the devil’s in the details. The Panasonic FH5 is feather-light at just 121 grams and super pocketable (94 x 54 x 19 mm). It’s the kind of camera you hardly notice in your jacket or purse. Clipboard for quick grabs? Perfect. Minimal clubs for thumbs on this one - it’s all plastic and stripped of bells and whistles but surprisingly comfortable for what it is.

The Sony A560, by contrast, is more of a “hello, I’m serious” machine, weighing in at nearly 600 grams with dimensions around 137 x 104 x 84 mm. It fills the hand with an unmistakable DSLR grip, kitschy plastic but solid enough for beginners looking to grow. Your hand settles naturally on the substantial front grip, plus the body features more dedicated control dials and buttons, giving you ready access to settings without digging into menus.

If you want stealth and weightless portability, the FH5 wins hands down. If you want a camera that feels like a camera and invites manual control, the A560 is the better companion.

Body Design and Control Layout - How Fast Can You Work?

Ergonomics only go so far without good control design. The Panasonic FH5’s design screams “point and shoot” - a small 2.7” fixed LCD with a modest 230k-dot resolution sits on the rear. Only a few buttons on the back and a simple control dial for zooming - no touchscreen or viewfinder, so it’s all LCD framing and menu diving. It has face detection and contrast-detect autofocus, but you’ll be fiddling with a simplified interface with limited customization.

The Sony A560 is much more serious - its 3” tilting LCD offers a sharp 922k-dot resolution, giving you more viewing real estate and angle options for awkward compositions or low-angle street shots. An optical pentamirror viewfinder with about 95% coverage lets you shoot classic SLR style, crucial for bright daylight or when conserving battery.

Top-plate control layouts also differ starkly:

The FH5 keeps it simple; the A560 provides dedicated dials for shutter speed, exposure compensation, and flash control - a boon for quick adjustments on the fly. The A560’s physical controls make it far better suited for manual and semi-manual shooting, a big plus if you enjoy creative photography beyond the fully automatic mode.

Sensor and Image Quality - Small CCD vs APS-C CMOS

This is where theory meets reality, and the difference is felt acutely. The FH5’s sensor is a tiny 1/2.3" CCD - a common compact camera sensor of its era, measuring just 6.08 x 4.56 mm, yielding a sensor area of about 27.72 mm² with 16 megapixels crammed in. On the other hand, the Sony A560 rocks a much larger APS-C CMOS sensor at 23.5 x 15.6 mm and 14 megapixels, giving you 366.6 mm² area - over 13 times bigger!

Why does sensor size matter? Bigger sensors gather more light, reduce noise, and deliver better dynamic range and color depth. The A560 shines here with a DxO Mark overall score of 70, decent color depth (22.5 bits), and a wide dynamic range of 12.3 EV stops. The FH5 wasn’t tested by DxO, but the tiny sensor and CCD tech means it’s more prone to higher noise at ISO values above 400 and struggles with shadow recovery.

Real-world shooting confirms this: landscapes look flat and noisy on the FH5 once you zoom in, while the A560 produces rich, detailed files with better highlight and shadow detail retention. Portraits taken with the A560 exhibit natural skin tones and detail preservation even under mixed lighting. The FH5, while decent in bright light, produces images that feel less refined and struggle with subtle tonal gradations.

LCD and Live View Experience - How You See Your Shot

The LCD is your constant companion for composition and playback. On the FH5, the fixed 2.7” screen is on the small side and low resolution, but gets the job done when shooting casually or at arm’s length. A downside is the lack of any tilting or articulating mechanism, which limits your creativity with low or high-angle shots.

The Sony A560’s 3” tilting LCD is fantastic for experimental compositions and video. The higher resolution means images are crisp in playback, aiding critical review in the field.

The A560 offers a better live view experience with fast refresh rates and accurate colors, while the FH5’s simpler screen shows more lag and less accurate colors due to its older tech.

If you often shoot in tricky angles or want a live composer for video, the A560’s screen versatility is a strong point.

Lens and Zoom – Fixed Convenience vs Interchangeable Flexibility

The Panasonic FH5 sports a fixed 28-112mm equivalent zoom lens (4x optical zoom) with max aperture f/3.1-6.5. It’s compact and decent for day-to-day shooting but not particularly sharp wide open or in the telephoto range. Macro work is limited to 5cm but works reasonably well indoors.

The Sony A560 uses the Sony/Minolta Alpha mount with access to over 140 compatible lenses - from wide-angle primes to telephoto zoom beasts. This lens ecosystem means you’re not locked into a single lens: want a fast portrait lens? A pro macro lens? A rugged telephoto for wildlife? The A560 can grow with you.

This flexibility hugely affects all genres we discuss later, especially wildlife, sports, and macro, where specialized optics are game changers.

Autofocus and Shooting Speed - Snap the Moment, Every Time

On paper, the FH5 offers contrast-detection autofocus with 11 focus points and face detection but falls short in speed and tracking. Continuous shooting is capped at 4 fps, enough for general snaps but not action.

The A560’s phase-detection AF with 15 focus points (3 cross-type) enables faster, more reliable autofocus that excels at tracking subjects in motion, although it’s a solid but not exceptional performer compared to modern DSLRs. Burst rate is 5 fps, slightly faster pace for sports and wildlife.

Autofocus behavior is one of those things you’ll notice instantly when shooting fast-moving subjects - FH5 users often miss shots due to hunt and lag, whereas A560 handles subject acquisition better but can struggle tracking erratic movement.

Photo Genres Tested - Real-World Shooting Across Disciplines

Let’s talk real shooting and where each camera shines or struggles.

Portraits

• Panasonic FH5: The small sensor limits bokeh quality despite the 28-112mm lens’s telephoto reach. Skin tones render fairly naturally but lack depth and show plastic smoothing due to heavy noise reduction at higher ISO.

• Sony A560: A larger sensor + fast lenses (depending on your glass) allows shallow depth of field and creamy bokeh. Phase-detection AF with face detection and exposure control nudge portraits into a professional zone.

Landscapes

The FH5’s limited dynamic range means blown highlights or muddy shadows in high-contrast scenes, particularly under strong sun or backlit environments. Sharpness is okay but can’t match the fine detail from the larger sensor A560, which also benefits from interchangeable wide-angle lenses and greater exposure latitude.

Wildlife

The FH5’s slow autofocus and fixed 4x zoom quickly show their limits in wildlife scenarios. The A560, coupled with a telephoto lens, impresses with quick acquisition and steady burst shooting, making it far preferable for capturing fleeting animal moments.

Sports

Overall tracking is challenging for the FH5 even at 4 fps - you’ll miss a lot. The A560’s faster AF and frame rates make it more suitable, although its entry-level AF still lags behind professional models.

Street

If stealth and portability matter, the FH5’s size helps, but lack of manual control can limit creative shooting. The A560 is bulkier but with a smaller, faster prime lens, it can be discreet enough for street work, with manual exposure control adding a creative edge.

Macro

FH5 has a fixed macro focus range of 5cm - usable for casual close-ups but limited. The A560 supports macro primes and teleconverters, plus better focus precision and often built-in image stabilization in lenses to nail details.

Night and Astro

The FH5’s noise gets out of control above ISO 400; longer shutter speeds are limited by its 60s max shutter speed and no bulb mode. The A560 can push higher ISOs and offers manual exposure modes key for astro work, plus superior noise control.

Video

The FH5 records 720p at 30fps in Motion JPEG - functional but dated compression and no external mic. The A560 supports 1080p at 60fps in AVCHD and MPEG-4 with external mic port and HDMI output, a major plus for budding videographers.

Travel

If weight and compactness are king, the FH5 is a great carry-along. Battery life is decent but limited. The A560 offers substantial battery longevity (1000+ shots), rugged ergonomics, and sensor flexibility but demands a bigger bag.

Professional Use

With RAW support, interchangeable lenses, manual controls, and higher image quality, the A560 scratches the surface of professional work (events, portrait studios on a budget). The FH5’s JPEG-only limitation and fixed lens hamper serious work.

Build and Weather Resistance - Durability in the Field

Neither camera offers weather sealing or ruggedized protection - the FH5 being a fragile compact and the A560 a basic entry-level DSLR constructed mostly from plastic. Neither is shockproof or dustproof. But if rain or extreme conditions are a concern, you’ll likely need protective housing or different equipment.

Battery Life and Storage - Power to Keep Shooting

The FH5 uses a proprietary battery pack that lasts roughly 260 shots - not great for long excursions. Plus, it has only one SD card slot.

The A560’s NP-FM500H battery yields an impressive 1050 shots per charge, critical for longer sessions. It features dual storage slots accepting SD/SDHC/SDXC and Memory Stick Duo media, adding flexibility and backup options.

Connectivity - Sharing and Tethering

The FH5 lacks Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, or HDMI output - the bare minimum of USB 2.0 for transfers.

The A560 offers Eye-Fi card support for wireless offload, HDMI, and microphone input. No Bluetooth or NFC, but typical for 2010-era DSLRs.

Putting It All Together - Scoring the Cameras Across Genres

Let me share the genre-specific performance scores I derived from my tests and industry benchmarks. These are out of 10, reflecting how well each camera performs in each type of photography.

Personally, the A560 leads comfortably in all demanding fields requiring creative control, quality, and speed. The FH5 remains respectable as a lightweight casual shooter but is squarely behind performance demands beyond snapshots.

Sample Image Gallery - Seeing Is Believing

Below are crops and full-frame sample photos from each camera under the same lighting and scene conditions so you can judge noise, detail, color rendition, and bokeh quality for yourself.

Panasonic FH5 front Panasonic FH5 screen back Sony A560 front Sony A560 screen back

The A560’s RAW files converted with mild sharpening and noise reduction reveal textures and tonal gradations clearly, outperforming the FH5’s noisier JPEG output.

Overall Performance Scores and Value for Money

Summing up the quantitative data:

The Sony A560’s overall DxO Mark equivalent score of 70 signals a solid entry-level DSLR image quality, while the FH5 is unranked but understood to lag significantly, especially in low-light and dynamic range.

Price-wise, the FH5 appeals to a tight budget (~$170 new originally), while the A560, at ~$650, asks a steeper investment but delivers a vastly superior photographic platform.

Who Should Buy the Panasonic FH5?

If your priorities are:

• Ultra-light portability and an inexpensive point-and-shoot
• Snapping simple family photos, travel memories, or casual landscapes
• No interest in manual exposure, RAW editing, or lenses
• Willingness to accept image quality trade-offs for quick convenience

Then the Panasonic FH5 is a reasonable, pocket-friendly companion designed for dilettantes or as a backup camera.

Who Should Opt for the Sony A560?

If you want:

• Entry into more serious photography with manual control and RAW capture
• Access to interchangeable lenses for flexibility and creative growth
• Superior image quality in portraits, landscapes, and low-light settings
• Video functionality and tethered shooting potential
• Long battery life and better ergonomics for prolonged use

Then investing in the Sony A560 (assuming you pair it with decent glass) is a smart choice toward a solid DSLR system that can grow with your skill.

Final Thoughts - Choosing the Right Tool for Your Vision

In the never-ending pursuit of picture perfection, the Panasonic FH5 represents a compact, "grab and go" approach kept simple for beginners and casual shooters. It's a camera that excuses its limitations with size and price, perfect for someone prioritizing ease and pocketability over creative flexibility.

The Sony A560, meanwhile, is a classic beginner DSLR offering a platform for learning, creativity, and better image outcomes across most photography types. It’s not a pro rig, but it’s a serious step towards professional workflow - manual exposure, lens choice, RAW files, and better autofocus make it a workhorse for novices ready to up their game.

Both cameras have their place, but for enthusiasts and budding pros ready to invest thoughtfully, the Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 is simply worth the extra bucks, especially given the comprehensive lens options and better performance you get. For casual users or tight budgets, the Panasonic FH5 ticks the right boxes but with obvious compromises.

I hope this hands-on comparison helps you weigh the trade-offs and pick the best camera for your unique artistic journey. Remember, no camera is perfect - choose the one that fits how and where you’ll shoot, because the best camera is always the one you have with you and know how to use.

Happy shooting!