Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57

Below is a thorough analysis of the Panasonic FP1 and Sony A57, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the FP1 (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the FP1 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FP1 was brought out 3 years prior to the A57 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FP1 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summation of how the FP1 scores vs the A57 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 and Sony SLT-A57. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic FP1 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FP1 features physical dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs) whilst the Sony A57 has proportions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") along with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FP1 and Sony A57 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the FP1 compared to the A57.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FP1 and A57 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements only by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the FP1 and A57.

Clearly, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FP1 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Sony A57 will give extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older FP1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.