Panasonic FH5 vs Sony RX10 IV

Let's look a bit more closely at the Panasonic FH5 versus Sony RX10 IV, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FH5 (16MP) and the RX10 IV (20MP) is pretty well matched but the FH5 (1/2.3") and RX10 IV (1") possess totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FH5 was announced 7 years before the RX10 IV and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 IV being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple summary of how the FH5 scores vs the RX10 IV when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH5 Gallery & Sony RX10 IV Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH5 enjoys physical 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 RX10 IV has proportions of 133mm x 94mm x 145mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 5.7") with a weight of 1095 grams (2.41 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FH5 versus Sony RX10 IV in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the FH5 versus the RX10 IV.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH5 and RX10 IV is 96 and 52 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by checking specifications. The photograph here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the FH5 and RX10 IV.

To sum up, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FH5 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony RX10 IV will resolve more detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older FH5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.