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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
Portability
64
Imaging
49
Features
45
Overall
47

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 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
  • Released January 2012
Sony A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Introduced January 2008
  • Successor is Sony A330
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 Overview

On this page, we are contrasting the Panasonic FH8 and Sony A300, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the FH8 (16MP) and A300 (10MP) and the FH8 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The FH8 was launched 4 years later than the A300 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief summary of how the FH8 scores vs the A300 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Sony A300

 FH8 A300 
IntroducedJanuary 2012January 2008More recent by 48 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Panasonic FH8

 A300 FH8 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Panasonic FH8 and Sony A300

 FH8 A300 
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FH8 comes with external measurements 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 A300 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Panasonic FH8 and Sony A300 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the FH8 vs the A300.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the FH8 and A300 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH8 and A300.

As you can see, both of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FH8 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic FH8 will show greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images a bit more aggressively. The younger FH8 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH8 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A300 as a Portrait photography camera
34
decent MP (16MP)
includes face detection focusing
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
59
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
low resolution sensor (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FH8
Street photography with Sony A300
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (123 grams)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
74
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Sports photography features
Sony A300 Sports photography features
40
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
includes tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
54
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
low resolution sensor (10MP)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Travel photography info
Sony A300 Travel photography info
69
lighter than competitors (123 grams)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (24mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
45
flash built-in
no Timelapse function
low resolution sensor (10MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FH8
Landscape photography with Sony A300
43
reasonably wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
manual mode not available
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
57
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Vlogging factors
Sony A300 Vlogging factors
33
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focusing
lighter than competitors (123g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external mic support
9
no video recording
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH8 and Sony A300
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2012-01-09 2008-01-30
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.5-6.4 -
Macro focusing range 4cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.49x
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 5.60 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format MPEG-4 -
Microphone 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 123g (0.27 pounds) 632g (1.39 pounds)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 64
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 538
Other
Battery life 260 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Compact Flash
Storage slots One One
Launch price $149 $0