Panasonic FH7 vs Sony A390

Here is a in depth assessment of the Panasonic FH7 and Sony A390, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH7 (16MP) and the A390 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the FH7 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FH7 was announced 14 months later than the A390 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FH7 being a Compact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the FH7 scores against the A390 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH7 Gallery & Sony A390 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH7 enjoys exterior dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony A390 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FH7 and Sony A390 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at that moment. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the FH7 and the A390.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH7 and A390 is 96 and 66 respectively.

Normally, it can be hard to see the contrast between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The visual here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FH7 and A390.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FH7 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic FH7 will resolve extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The newer FH7 will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.