Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900

Here, we are reviewing the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A900, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and A900 (25MP) and the FH5 (1/2.3") and A900 (Full frame) boast different sensor sizes.

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The FH5 was manufactured 2 years after the A900 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the FH5 grades versus the A900 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A900. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FH5 Gallery & Sony A900 Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FH5 offers external dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) while the Sony A900 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") and a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A900 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the FH5 and the A900.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the FH5 and A900 is 96 and 54 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to visualize the difference between sensor sizes merely by checking technical specs. The image below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FH5 and A900.

As you can tell, both of those cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The FH5 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A900 will give you greater detail due to its extra 9 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The fresher FH5 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.