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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V 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
  • Revealed January 2012
Sony HX30V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Released February 2012
  • Succeeded the Sony HX20V
  • Successor is Sony HX50V
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V Overview

Let's look closer at the Panasonic FH8 and Sony HX30V, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FH8 (16MP) and the HX30V (18MP) is fairly comparable and both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The FH8 was announced about the same time to the HX30V which means that they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a concise view of how the FH8 grades against the HX30V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Sony HX30V

 FH8 HX30V 

Reasons to pick Sony HX30V over the Panasonic FH8

 HX30V FH8 
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH8 and Sony HX30V

 FH8 HX30V 
ReleasedJanuary 2012February 2012Same age
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH8 offers 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 HX30V has measurements of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") having a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FH8 and Sony HX30V in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose during that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the FH8 versus the HX30V.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH8 and HX30V is 96 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes purely by going through specs. The picture below will give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the FH8 and HX30V.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras feature the identical sensor size but different resolution. You can anticipate the Sony HX30V to provide greater detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic FH8
Portrait photography with Sony HX30V
34
megapixel count decent (16MP)
supports face detection autofocus
no manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
45
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
provides face detection focusing
can't use external flash
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FH8
Street photography with Sony HX30V
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (123g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (254 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH8 as a Sports photography camera
Sony HX30V as a Sports photography camera
40
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
49
great zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (18 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
no shutter priority
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic FH8
Travel photography with Sony HX30V
69
lighter than others (123 grams)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (24mm)
no Time Lapse recording
does not have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
69
lighter than competition (254g)
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
built-in flash
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (500mm)
no Time Lapse function
does not have selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Landscape photography highlights
Sony HX30V Landscape photography highlights
43
really wide (24mm)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
no manual control
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
50
manual focus
really wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (18MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Vlogging details
Sony HX30V Vlogging details
33
really wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection autofocus
lighter than others (123 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic socket
34
really wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (254g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
does not have selfie friendly screen
no external mic jack
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX30V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH8 and Sony HX30V
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2012-01-09 2012-02-28
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) 25-500mm (20.0x)
Max aperture f/2.5-6.4 f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus distance 4cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology TFT Color LCD XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.60 m 7.10 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 123g (0.27 lbs) 254g (0.56 lbs)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 images 320 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $149 $420