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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 front
Portability
54
Imaging
66
Features
62
Overall
64

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 Key Specs

Panasonic FH5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • 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 Known as Lumix DMC-FS18
Sony A900
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Launched October 2008
  • New Model is Sony A99
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Sony A900

 FH5 A900 
LaunchedJanuary 2011October 2008More modern by 27 months

Reasons to pick Sony A900 over the Panasonic FH5

 A900 FH5 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A900

 FH5 A900 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 size comparison

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

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 Sensor Comparison

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.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Portrait photography advice
Sony A900 Portrait photography advice
34
resolution is good (16MP)
includes face detection focus
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
71
manual focus
resolution is great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Street photography details
Sony A900 Street photography details
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
boasts touch focus
lighter than others (121g)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Sports photography information
Sony A900 Sports photography information
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
weather proof
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Travel photography features
Sony A900 Travel photography features
71
lighter than others (121g)
boasts touch focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
does not contain selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.1)
54
weather proof
resolution is great (25 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Landscape photography factors
Sony A900 Landscape photography factors
38
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual mode not available
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
72
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
two card slots
no liveview
doesn't have Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Vlogging info
Sony A900 Vlogging info
33
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
lighter than others (121g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not contain selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external microphone jack
9
lack of video recording
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A900 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH5 and Sony A900
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5Sony Alpha DSLR-A900
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A900
Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FS18 -
Class Small Sensor Compact Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2011-01-05 2008-10-22
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 25MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 6048 x 4032
Maximum native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.30 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 121g (0.27 lb) 895g (1.97 lb)
Physical dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 1431
Other
Battery life 260 images 880 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32
Card slots 1 Two
Pricing at release $169 $2,736