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Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-3 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
55
Overall
54

Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

Panasonic FH7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-6.5) lens
  • 126g - 95 x 56 x 19mm
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FS22
Sony NEX-3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 297g - 117 x 62 x 33mm
  • Announced June 2010
  • New Model is Sony NEX-C3
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Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FH7 (16MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is fairly close but the FH7 (1/2.3") and NEX-3 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The FH7 was manufactured 16 months after the NEX-3 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH7 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a short summation of how the FH7 scores against the NEX-3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH7 over the Sony NEX-3

 FH7 NEX-3 
AnnouncedSeptember 2011June 2010More modern by 16 months
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-3 over the Panasonic FH7

 NEX-3 FH7 
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution920k230kSharper display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH7 and Sony NEX-3

 FH7 NEX-3 
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FH7 has got external measurements of 95mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the FH7 vs the NEX-3.

Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH7 and NEX-3 is 96 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes only by researching technical specs. The pic here might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the FH7 and NEX-3.

As you have seen, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FH7 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Panasonic FH7 will provide you with more detail due to its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos much more aggressively. The newer FH7 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH7 Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Portrait photography advice
34
MP count decent (16MP)
offers face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
72
manual focus
MP count decent (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH7 Street photography advice
Sony NEX-3 Street photography advice
67
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides focus by touch
lighter than competition in class (126g)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
76
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FH7
Sports photography with Sony NEX-3
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
52
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
lack of image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH7 as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-3 as a Travel photography camera
71
lighter than competition in class (126 grams)
provides focus by touch
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
59
MP count decent (14 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH7 Landscape photography features
Sony NEX-3 Landscape photography features
43
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
no manual exposure
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse function
68
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
MP count decent (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FH7
Vlogging with Sony NEX-3
34
reasonably wide (28mm)
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (126 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have microphone socket
27
offers face detect focus
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone port
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Panasonic FH7 vs Sony NEX-3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH7 and Sony NEX-3
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7Sony Alpha NEX-3
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Also called Lumix DMC-FS22 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-09-07 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Venus Engine IV 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 surface area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.1-6.5 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 4.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.30 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
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) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 126g (0.28 lbs) 297g (0.65 lbs)
Dimensions 95 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") 117 x 62 x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 68
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.0
DXO Low light score not tested 830
Other
Battery life 260 images 330 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $149 $0