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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 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
  • Introduced January 2012
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Raise to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Launched October 2016
  • Previous Model is Sony A6300
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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 Overview

The following is a complete assessment of the Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the resolutions of the FH6 (14MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the FH6 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The FH6 was revealed 5 years earlier than the A6500 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH6 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the FH6 scores vs the A6500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH6 over the Sony A6500

 FH6 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Panasonic FH6

 A6500 FH6 
LaunchedOctober 2016January 2012Newer by 57 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic FH6 and Sony A6500

 FH6 A6500 
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FH6 provides outer dimensions of 96mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has dimensions of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the FH6 vs the A6500.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH6 and A6500 is 96 and 81 respectively.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading technical specs. The picture here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH6 and A6500.

As you can tell, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The FH6 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A6500 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged FH6 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Portrait photography information
Sony A6500 Portrait photography information
33
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
includes face detection focusing
no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
80
you can focus manually
good megapixels (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FH6
Street photography with Sony A6500
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (119g)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
85
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
includes touch focus
environment proof
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Sports photography factors
Sony A6500 Sports photography factors
39
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
better than average battery life (280 shots)
max fps low (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
77
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
environment proof
has phase detect AF
not so great battery power (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Travel photography factors
Sony A6500 Travel photography factors
70
better than average battery life (280 shots)
lighter than average in class (119 grams)
good megapixels (14MP)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
74
environment proof
supports bluetooth
includes touch focus
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
not so great battery power (350 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Landscape photography factors
Sony A6500 Landscape photography factors
41
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (14MP)
better than average battery life (280 CIPA)
no manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
small screen (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
missing Time Lapse mode
79
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
not so great battery power (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Vlogging features
Sony A6500 Vlogging features
32
decently wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
lighter than average in class (119g)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic jack
39
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone jack
display is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH6 and Sony A6500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 Sony Alpha a6500
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2012-01-09 2016-10-06
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4320 x 3240 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Maximum boosted ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 425
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.5-6.4 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.60 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 119 gr (0.26 pounds) 453 gr (1.00 pounds)
Physical dimensions 96 x 56 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 85
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 280 pictures 350 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $129 $1,298