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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
29
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 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
  • Introduced January 2012
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Introduced September 2012
  • Superseded the Sony A55
  • Refreshed by Sony A58
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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 Overview

Following is a complete review of the Panasonic FH6 and Sony A57, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the FH6 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is pretty comparable but the FH6 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The FH6 was introduced 8 months prior to the A57 which means that they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH6 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise view of how the FH6 matches up versus the A57 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH6 over the Sony A57

 FH6 A57 

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Panasonic FH6

 A57 FH6 
IntroducedSeptember 2012January 2012More modern by 8 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Panasonic FH6 and Sony A57

 FH6 A57 
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH6 provides exterior measurements of 96mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") and a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Sony A57 has sizing of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") along with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

See the Panasonic FH6 and Sony A57 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is a front view size comparison of the FH6 versus the A57.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH6 and A57 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes merely by seeing specs. The pic below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FH6 and A57.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FH6 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A57 will provide extra detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged FH6 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Portrait photography advice
Sony A57 Portrait photography advice
33
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
offers face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
74
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Street photography features
Sony A57 Street photography features
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (119 grams)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
75
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Sports photography highlights
Sony A57 Sports photography highlights
39
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
good battery life (280 CIPA)
max fps low (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
78
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH6 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A57 as a Travel photography camera
70
good battery life (280 per charge)
lighter than competition in class (119g)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (24mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
67
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH6 Landscape photography advice
Sony A57 Landscape photography advice
41
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
good battery life (280 shots)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
72
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FH6
Vlogging with Sony A57
32
rather wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection autofocus
lighter than competition in class (119 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external mic socket
77
screen is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone port
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Panasonic FH6 vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH6 and Sony A57
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6Sony SLT-A57
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 Sony SLT-A57
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2012-01-09 2012-09-13
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
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 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 16000
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.5-6.4 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Total lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech TFT Color LCD Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.60 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options 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
Maximum flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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) 618 gr (1.36 pounds)
Physical dimensions 96 x 56 x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 785
Other
Battery life 280 photographs 550 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - 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/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch cost $129 $1,000