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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Panasonic FH6
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • 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 A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Launched December 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A100
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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 Overview

On this page, we will be matching up the Panasonic FH6 and Sony A550, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH6 (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is relatively close but the FH6 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The FH6 was introduced 2 years later than the A550 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH6 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the FH6 scores vs the A550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH6 over the Sony A550

 FH6 A550 
LaunchedJanuary 2012December 2009More recent by 26 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Panasonic FH6

 A550 FH6 
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH6 and Sony A550

 FH6 A550 
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH6 has outer dimensions of 96mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Sony A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FH6 and Sony A550 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the FH6 compared to the A550.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FH6 and A550 is 96 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be tough to visualise the gap in sensor measurements only by viewing specifications. The photograph below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the FH6 and A550.

Plainly, the two cameras provide the same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor measurements. The FH6 contains the smaller sensor which should make obtaining shallow DOF harder. The fresher FH6 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Portrait photography features
Sony A550 Portrait photography features
33
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
offers face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
72
you can focus manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Street photography factors
Sony A550 Street photography factors
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (119g)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Sports photography highlights
Sony A550 Sports photography highlights
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
good battery pack (280 shots)
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
low battery life (480 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Travel photography highlights
Sony A550 Travel photography highlights
70
good battery pack (280 per charge)
lighter than competitors (119g)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (24mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
52
MP count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Timelapse function
low battery life (480 shots)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A550 Landscape photography highlights
41
reasonably wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
good battery pack (280 per charge)
focusing manually not possible
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse recording
66
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
low battery life (480 shots)
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Vlogging advice
Sony A550 Vlogging advice
32
reasonably wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
lighter than competitors (119g)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have microphone socket
9
no video recording
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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH6 and Sony A550
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2012-01-09 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4320 x 3240 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.5-6.4 -
Macro focus range 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.60 m 12.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
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) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 119g (0.26 lb) 632g (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 96 x 56 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.8
DXO Low light score not tested 807
Other
Battery life 280 images 480 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $129 $749