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Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
13
Overall
26
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 Key Specs

Panasonic FP1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 151g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2010
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Announced September 2012
  • Earlier Model is Sony A55
  • Replacement is Sony A58
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Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 Overview

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.

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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.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP1 over the Sony A57

 FP1 A57 

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Panasonic FP1

 A57 FP1 
AnnouncedSeptember 2012January 2010More recent by 32 months
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Panasonic FP1 and Sony A57

 FP1 A57 
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 size comparison

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

Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

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.

Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FP1 Portrait photography details
Sony A57 Portrait photography details
21
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
74
manual focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FP1 as a Street photography camera
Sony A57 as a Street photography camera
55
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
heavier than average (151 grams)
75
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FP1 Sports photography factors
Sony A57 Sports photography factors
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
78
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FP1 Travel photography advice
Sony A57 Travel photography advice
50
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
heavier than average (151 grams)
MP count low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
67
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FP1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A57 Landscape photography highlights
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
72
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FP1 Vlogging factors
Sony A57 Vlogging factors
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
does not feature selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
no mic port
heavier than average (151g)
77
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone port
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Panasonic FP1 vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FP1 and Sony A57
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1Sony SLT-A57
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 Sony SLT-A57
Type Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2010-01-06 2012-09-13
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine IV -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 6400 16000
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 35-140mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 10cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech - Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames per second 12.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.90 m (Auto ISO) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
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 151 grams (0.33 lbs) 618 grams (1.36 lbs)
Physical dimensions 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 785
Other
Battery life - 550 photos
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $153 $1,000