Panasonic FH7 vs Sony HX99

The following is a in depth assessment of the Panasonic FH7 and Sony HX99, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FH7 (16MP) and the HX99 (18MP) is fairly similar but the FH7 (1/2.3") and HX99 (1/2.3-inch) offer totally different sensor size.

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The FH7 was unveiled 8 years before the HX99 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the FH7 scores vs the HX99 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH7 Gallery & Sony HX99 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic FH7 comes with external dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony HX99 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 242 grams (0.53 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FH7 and Sony HX99 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the FH7 vs the HX99.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH7 and HX99 is 96 and 91 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions merely by reading technical specs. The pic below should give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH7 and HX99.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The FH7 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Sony HX99 will deliver more detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged FH7 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.