Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX1

Let's look much closer at the Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX1, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the FH8 (16MP) and HX1 (9MP) and the FH8 (1/2.3") and HX1 (1/2.4") posses totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FH8 was introduced 2 years after the HX1 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the FH8 matches up vs the HX1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FH8 Gallery & Sony HX1 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry around your camera, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic FH8 enjoys external dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) and the Sony HX1 has sizing of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") with a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the FH8 compared to the HX1.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the FH8 and HX1 is 96 and 67 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to see the gap between sensor sizes merely by reading through technical specs. The pic here will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FH8 and HX1.

As you have seen, each of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FH8 having a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FH8 will give you more detail using its extra 7 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures more aggressively. The more recent FH8 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.