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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
67
Features
85
Overall
74

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 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 A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Expand to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Released October 2016
  • Earlier Model is Sony A6300
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Panasonic FH8 and Sony A6500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the FH8 (16MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the FH8 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The FH8 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the A6500 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the FH8 scores vs the A6500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Sony A6500

 FH8 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Panasonic FH8

 A6500 FH8 
ReleasedOctober 2016January 2012More recent by 57 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic FH8 and Sony A6500

 FH8 A6500 
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera, you should take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH8 features exterior 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) whilst the Sony A6500 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FH8 and Sony A6500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you choose at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the FH8 versus the A6500.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the FH8 and A6500 is 96 and 81 respectively.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements merely by checking technical specs. The visual below may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the FH8 and A6500.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FH8 using its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A6500 will resolve extra detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older FH8 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Portrait photography advice
Sony A6500 Portrait photography advice
34
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
provides face detect focus
manual focus not available
no manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
80
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Street photography factors
Sony A6500 Street photography factors
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (123g)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
85
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
comes with touch to focus
environment proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FH8
Sports photography with Sony A6500
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
low fps (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
77
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
environment proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
low battery (350 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic FH8
Travel photography with Sony A6500
69
lighter than competition in class (123 grams)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
74
environment proof
has bluetooth
comes with touch to focus
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
has built in flash
low battery (350 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Landscape photography advice
Sony A6500 Landscape photography advice
43
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
no manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proof
low battery (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Vlogging highlights
Sony A6500 Vlogging highlights
33
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (123 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic support
39
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 pxls)
does have external microphone socket
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH8 and Sony A6500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 Sony Alpha a6500
Type Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Released 2012-01-09 2016-10-06
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 24MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 25600
Max boosted ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 23 425
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/2.5-6.4 -
Macro focus distance 4cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per second 11.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.60 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 123g (0.27 pounds) 453g (1.00 pounds)
Dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 85
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 260 shots 350 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $149 $1,298