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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 Key Specs

Panasonic FH8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 123g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2012
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Revealed May 2009
  • Earlier Model is Sony A200
  • Replacement is Sony A290
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the FH8 (16MP) and A230 (10MP) and the FH8 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizing.

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The FH8 was released 2 years later than the A230 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a complete comparison, below is a simple summary of how the FH8 scores versus the A230 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Sony A230

 FH8 A230 
RevealedJanuary 2012May 2009More recent by 33 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Panasonic FH8

 A230 FH8 
Manual focus Very precise focusing

Common features in the Panasonic FH8 and Sony A230

 FH8 A230 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to lug around your camera, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Panasonic FH8 comes with outside dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Sony A230 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") and a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at the time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the FH8 against the A230.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the FH8 and A230 is 96 and 69 respectively.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements purely by going over specs. The photograph underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH8 and A230.

All in all, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FH8 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic FH8 will offer you more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The fresher FH8 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic FH8
Portrait photography with Sony A230
34
decent megapixels (16MP)
offers face detection focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
54
has manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FH8
Street photography with Sony A230
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (123 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Sports photography advice
Sony A230 Sports photography advice
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
46
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
low frames per second (3.0 fps)
low megapixels (10MP)
not so great battery (230 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Travel photography features
Sony A230 Travel photography features
69
lighter than average (123g)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.5)
45
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
not so great battery (230 per charge)
low megapixels (10MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH8 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A230 as a Landscape photography camera
43
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.5)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
51
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
small screen (2.7 inches)
does not have liveview
low megapixels (10MP)
not so great battery (230 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FH8
Vlogging with Sony A230
33
reasonably wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
lighter than average (123 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone socket
9
can't record video
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH8 and Sony A230
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2012-01-09 2009-05-18
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.5-6.4 -
Macro focus distance 4cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.60 m 10.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160s
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) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format MPEG-4 -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 123 grams (0.27 lbs) 490 grams (1.08 lbs)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 63
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.4
DXO Low light score not tested 531
Other
Battery life 260 photographs 230 photographs
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $149 $569