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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 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
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FS18
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Released February 2009
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 Overview

Below is a complete overview of the Panasonic FH5 and Sony S980, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The FH5 was launched 23 months later than the S980 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise view of how the FH5 scores vs the S980 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Sony S980

 FH5 S980 
ReleasedJanuary 2011February 2009More recent by 23 months

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Panasonic FH5

 S980 FH5 
Manual focus More accurate focusing

Common features in the Panasonic FH5 and Sony S980

 FH5 S980 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension2.7"2.7"Identical display sizing
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch display Neither includes Touch display

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH5 features outside dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) while the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FH5 and Sony S980 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the FH5 versus the S980.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the FH5 and S980 is 96 and 94 respectively.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be tough to imagine the gap between sensor measurements only by reviewing specifications. The photograph here should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH5 and S980.

To sum up, both cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic FH5 to offer more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The fresher FH5 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH5 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony S980 as a Portrait photography camera
34
decent MP (16MP)
supports face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
27
manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Street photography features
Sony S980 Street photography features
67
image stabilization (Optical)
includes focus by touch
lighter than others (121 grams)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
47
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Sports photography details
Sony S980 Sports photography details
40
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
low fps (4.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
17
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Travel photography factors
Sony S980 Travel photography factors
71
lighter than others (121g)
includes focus by touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse function
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FH5
Landscape photography with Sony S980
38
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
27
manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
manual mode not possible
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Vlogging highlights
Sony S980 Vlogging highlights
33
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
lighter than others (121g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone port
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external microphone support
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH5 and Sony S980
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Otherwise known as Lumix DMC-FS18 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-01-05 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine IV -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.1-6.5 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range 5cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 2s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.30 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 121 gr (0.27 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Retail price $169 $300