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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V front
Portability
62
Imaging
45
Features
60
Overall
51

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V 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 HX400V
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 660g - 130 x 93 x 103mm
  • Released February 2014
  • Superseded the Sony HX300
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FH8 (16MP) and the HX400V (20MP) is pretty close and both cameras offer the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The FH8 was announced 3 years before the HX400V and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX400V being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief view of how the FH8 matches up versus the HX400V with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Sony HX400V

 FH8 HX400V 

Reasons to pick Sony HX400V over the Panasonic FH8

 HX400V FH8 
ReleasedFebruary 2014January 2012Fresher by 25 months
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FH8 and Sony HX400V

 FH8 HX400V 
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera often, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FH8 comes with exterior dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Sony HX400V has dimensions of 130mm x 93mm x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1") along with a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the FH8 vs the HX400V.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FH8 and HX400V is 96 and 62 respectively.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing just by researching a spec sheet. The graphic below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FH8 and HX400V.

As you can see, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Sony HX400V to provide you with greater detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older FH8 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Portrait photography info
Sony HX400V Portrait photography info
34
decent megapixels (16MP)
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
51
manual focus
megapixel count decent (20MP)
offers face detect autofocus
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FH8
Street photography with Sony HX400V
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (123g)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
50
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
heavier than competition (660g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Sports photography info
Sony HX400V Sports photography info
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
slow fps (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
55
excellent zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
offers tracking focus
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic FH8
Travel photography with Sony HX400V
69
lighter than competitors (123g)
decent megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
really wide (24mm)
no Timelapse recording
does not posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
53
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
long zoom (1200mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
heavier than competition (660g)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Landscape photography information
Sony HX400V Landscape photography information
43
really wide (24mm)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
lack of manual exposure
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Timelapse recording
49
manual focus
pretty wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FH8
Vlogging with Sony HX400V
33
really wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competitors (123 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone support
29
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes mic socket
slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
heavier than competition (660 grams)
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony HX400V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH8 and Sony HX400V
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-01-09 2014-02-12
Physical type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
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 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.5-6.4 f/2.8-6.3
Macro focus distance 4cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 5.60 m 8.50 m (ISO Auto)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Flash Off / Autoflash / Fill-flash / Slow Sync. / Advanced Flash / Rear Sync. / Wireless (with optional compliant flash)
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
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) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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 BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 123 gr (0.27 pounds) 660 gr (1.46 pounds)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 130 x 93 x 103mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.1")
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 photos 300 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at release $149 $448