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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980

Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
17
Overall
27

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 Key Specs

Panasonic FH8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 123g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2012
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Launched February 2009
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Panasonic FH8 versus Sony S980, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the FH8 (16MP) and S980 (12MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The FH8 was manufactured 2 years after the S980 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before we go straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the FH8 scores vs the S980 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Sony S980

 FH8 S980 
LaunchedJanuary 2012February 2009More modern by 36 months
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Panasonic FH8

 S980 FH8 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing

Common features in the Panasonic FH8 and Sony S980

 FH8 S980 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FH8 features outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FH8 versus Sony S980 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the FH8 versus the S980.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the FH8 and S980 is 96 and 94 respectively.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizes merely by checking out a spec sheet. The picture here will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the FH8 and S980.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic FH8 to provide more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The younger FH8 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Portrait photography factors
Sony S980 Portrait photography factors
34
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
27
has manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FH8
Street photography with Sony S980
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (123 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
47
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FH8 as a Sports photography camera
Sony S980 as a Sports photography camera
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
17
max fps low (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Travel photography factors
Sony S980 Travel photography factors
69
lighter than competition in class (123g)
good resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse recording
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Landscape photography features
Sony S980 Landscape photography features
43
fairly wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (16MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
lack of manual mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
27
has manual focus
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual control
no image stabilization
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FH8 Vlogging features
Sony S980 Vlogging features
33
fairly wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focus
lighter than competition in class (123 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Panasonic FH8 vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FH8 and Sony S980
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2012-01-09 2009-02-17
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-120mm (5.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.5-6.4 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing distance 4cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 8 secs 2 secs
Max shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.60 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 123 gr (0.27 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 photographs -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $149 $300