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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 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
  • Launched January 2011
  • Also referred to as Lumix DMC-FS18
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Released December 2011
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Panasonic FH5 versus Sony NEX-7, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the FH5 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) offer different sensor dimensions.

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The FH5 was unveiled 11 months earlier than the NEX-7 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a in depth comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the FH5 scores vs the NEX-7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Sony NEX-7

 FH5 NEX-7 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Panasonic FH5

 NEX-7 FH5 
ReleasedDecember 2011January 2011More modern by 11 months
Focus manually More precise focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH5 and Sony NEX-7

 FH5 NEX-7 
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic FH5 features external measurements 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 NEX-7 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FH5 versus Sony NEX-7 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the FH5 and the NEX-7.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH5 and NEX-7 is 96 and 84 respectively.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to picture the difference between sensor sizes just by going over specs. The image below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH5 and NEX-7.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FH5 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony NEX-7 will offer you greater detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged FH5 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH5 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Portrait photography camera
34
good MP (16MP)
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
77
you can focus manually
MP count good (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Street photography features
Sony NEX-7 Street photography features
67
image stabilization (Optical)
provides touch to focus
lighter than competitors in class (121g)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
76
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Sports photography details
Sony NEX-7 Sports photography details
40
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
includes tracking focus
slow fps (4.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
61
MP count good (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
good battery power (430 CIPA)
no image stabilization
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Travel photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography factors
71
lighter than competitors in class (121 grams)
provides touch to focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
no Timelapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
70
good battery power (430 shots)
MP count good (24MP)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Landscape photography factors
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography factors
38
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16MP)
manual focus not available
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
no Timelapse function
72
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
MP count good (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
good battery power (430 shots)
no image stabilization
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH5 as a Vlogging camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Vlogging camera
33
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competitors in class (121 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone port
35
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic jack
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH5 and Sony NEX-7
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Also called Lumix DMC-FS18 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2011-01-05 2011-12-13
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 6400 16000
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.30 m 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 121 grams (0.27 lb) 400 grams (0.88 lb)
Physical dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 81
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.4
DXO Low light score not tested 1016
Other
Battery life 260 shots 430 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $169 $699