Panasonic FH5 vs Sony A99

On this page, we are evaluating the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A99, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the FH5 (16MP) and A99 (24MP) and the FH5 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) posses different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FH5 was released 23 months before the A99 making them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple view of how the FH5 matches up against the A99 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5 and Sony SLT-A99. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic FH5 Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH5 offers external dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") having a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) while the Sony A99 has measurements of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") along with a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FH5 and Sony A99 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the FH5 and the A99.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH5 and A99 is 96 and 57 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to imagine the gap in sensor measurements just by going through specs. The photograph underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH5 and A99.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FH5 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Sony A99 will produce more detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively. The older FH5 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.