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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9

Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
29
Overall
34
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
74
Features
93
Overall
81

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 Key Specs

Panasonic FH6
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 119g - 96 x 56 x 20mm
  • Announced January 2012
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Launched April 2017
  • Renewed by Sony A9 II
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Panasonic FH6 versus Sony A9, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the FH6 (14MP) and A9 (24MP) and the FH6 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) use totally different sensor sizes.

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The FH6 was manufactured 6 years earlier than the A9 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH6 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the FH6 scores versus the A9 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH6 over the Sony A9

 FH6 A9 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Panasonic FH6

 A9 FH6 
LaunchedApril 2017January 2012Newer by 64 months
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kCrisper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic FH6 and Sony A9

 FH6 A9 
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to travel with your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH6 provides external measurements of 96mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") and a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FH6 versus Sony A9 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the FH6 against the A9.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH6 and A9 is 96 and 65 respectively.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions purely by researching specs. The picture underneath should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the FH6 and A9.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The FH6 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A9 will result in greater detail due to its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The more aged FH6 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Portrait photography features
Sony A9 Portrait photography features
34
resolution is good (14MP)
supports face detection focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
84
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Street photography highlights
Sony A9 Street photography highlights
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (119 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
79
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
saves RAW files
features focus by touch
weather sealing
above average high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Sports photography info
Sony A9 Sports photography info
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
better than average battery life (280 shots)
slow frames per second (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
87
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (20.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
better than average battery (650 per charge)
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Travel photography details
Sony A9 Travel photography details
71
better than average battery life (280 shots)
lighter than others in class (119 grams)
resolution is good (14MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (24mm)
no Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f2.5)
74
better than average battery (650 per charge)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
features focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FH6
Landscape photography with Sony A9
41
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (14MP)
better than average battery life (280 shots)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.5)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
no Timelapse function
86
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
above average high ISO (51,200)
saves RAW files
weather sealing
better than average battery (650 CIPA)
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH6 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A9 as a Vlogging camera
33
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focus
lighter than others in class (119 grams)
slow max aperture (f2.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone port
37
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with mic socket
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH6 and Sony A9
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6Sony Alpha A9
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 Sony Alpha A9
Class Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2012-01-09 2017-04-19
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - BIONZ X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 51200
Max boosted ISO - 204800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 693
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.5-6.4 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Available lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/8000 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.60 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
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 119 gr (0.26 lbs) 673 gr (1.48 lbs)
Dimensions 96 x 56 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 92
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.3
DXO Low light score not tested 3517
Other
Battery life 280 shots 650 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots 1 2
Launch price $129 $4,498