Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A560

Its time to look much closer at the Panasonic FP1 and Sony A560, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FP1 (12MP) and the A560 (14MP) is pretty similar but the FP1 (1/2.3") and A560 (APS-C) provide different sensor measurements.

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The FP1 was unveiled 7 months before the A560 and they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FP1 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A560 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summation of how the FP1 scores vs the A560 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A560. The full galleries are viewable at Panasonic FP1 Gallery & Sony A560 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera, you need to think about its weight and size. The Panasonic FP1 features outer dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs) while the Sony A560 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FP1 and Sony A560 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the FP1 versus the A560.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the FP1 and A560 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements just by going over a spec sheet. The graphic underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FP1 and A560.

Clearly, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FP1 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Sony A560 will offer you greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older FP1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.