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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
31
Overall
35
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
41
Overall
39

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 Key Specs

Panasonic FH5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 94 x 54 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2011
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-FS18
Sony WX30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Revealed July 2011
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH5 (16MP) and the WX30 (16MP) is relatively close and both cameras offer the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The FH5 was announced 6 months before the WX30 and they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the FH5 matches up against the WX30 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH5 over the Sony WX30

 FH5 WX30 

Reasons to pick Sony WX30 over the Panasonic FH5

 WX30 FH5 
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic FH5 and Sony WX30

 FH5 WX30 
RevealedJanuary 2011July 2011Same generation
Manually focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic FH5 features outer 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 WX30 has specifications of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the FH5 compared to the WX30.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH5 and WX30 is 96 and 96 respectively.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizes merely by looking through a spec sheet. The image here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the FH5 and WX30.

As you can see, each of the cameras come with the identical sensor size and the identical resolution and you should expect comparable quality of images but you would want to take the production date of the cameras into account.

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Portrait photography info
Sony WX30 Portrait photography info
34
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports face detect autofocus
no manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
30
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH5 as a Street photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Street photography camera
67
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports touch to focus
lighter than others in class (121 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (117 grams)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Sports photography camera
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
slow frames per second (4.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH5 Travel photography info
Sony WX30 Travel photography info
71
lighter than others in class (121 grams)
supports touch to focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
69
lighter than competition (117 grams)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
missing Timelapse mode
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Landscape photography camera
38
decently wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
43
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.6)
no manual control
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FH5
Vlogging with Sony WX30
33
decently wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect autofocus
lighter than others in class (121g)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone port
35
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (117g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.6)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
missing microphone port
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Panasonic FH5 vs Sony WX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH5 and Sony WX30
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
Also called as Lumix DMC-FS18 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2011-01-05 2011-07-25
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine IV BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
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 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 25-125mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.1-6.5 f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing distance 5cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - XtraFine TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 3.70 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 121g (0.27 lbs) 117g (0.26 lbs)
Physical dimensions 94 x 54 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 photographs 250 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $169 $259