Panasonic FH8 vs Sony A6500

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 & Sony Alpha a6500. The full galleries are available at Panasonic FH8 Gallery & Sony A6500 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.