Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A9

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A9, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the FH8 (16MP) and A9 (24MP) and the FH8 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor sizing.

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The FH8 was announced 6 years prior to the A9 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the FH8 scores versus the A9 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 & Sony Alpha A9. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH8 Gallery & Sony A9 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FH8 has external dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") with a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A9 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the FH8 compared to the A9.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH8 and A9 is 96 and 65 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by checking specs. The photograph underneath may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH8 and A9.

All in all, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FH8 having a tinier sensor will make getting bokeh more challenging and the Sony A9 will give you greater detail with its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older FH8 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.