Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A290

Here is a detailed overview of the Panasonic FH8 versus Sony A290, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH8 (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the FH8 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) use different sensor dimensions.

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The FH8 was unveiled 20 months later than the A290 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief summation of how the FH8 scores vs the A290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH8 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH8 enjoys external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FH8 versus Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the FH8 compared to the A290.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH8 and A290 is 96 and 66 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading through technical specs. The graphic underneath will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH8 and A290.

As you have seen, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FH8 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh more challenging and the Panasonic FH8 will resolve greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The younger FH8 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.