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Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
17
Overall
28
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Panasonic FP2
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 151g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
  • Released January 2010
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Released December 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A100
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Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic FP2 and Sony A550, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FP2 (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very comparable but the FP2 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The FP2 was brought out within a month of the A550 and they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FP2 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the FP2 grades versus the A550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FP2 over the Sony A550

 FP2 A550 

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Panasonic FP2

 A550 FP2 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FP2 and Sony A550

 FP2 A550 
ReleasedJanuary 2010December 2009Same generation
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FP2 provides external measurements 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 A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FP2 and Sony A550 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the FP2 vs the A550.

Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the FP2 and A550 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is hard to picture the contrast in sensor sizes merely by seeing specs. The picture underneath may give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the FP2 and A550.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have got the exact same MP but different sensor sizes. The FP2 contains the smaller sensor which should make obtaining shallower DOF harder.

Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FP2 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A550 as a Portrait photography camera
28
good resolution (14MP)
no manual focus
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
72
manual focus
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FP2 Street photography details
Sony A550 Street photography details
55
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than average in class (151g)
74
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FP2 Sports photography details
Sony A550 Sports photography details
34
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
low fps (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery life (480 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FP2 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A550 as a Travel photography camera
56
good resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
more heavy than average in class (151g)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
52
good MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse recording
terrible battery life (480 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FP2 Landscape photography features
Sony A550 Landscape photography features
32
image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
lack of Timelapse function
66
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
terrible battery life (480 shots)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FP2
Vlogging with Sony A550
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of microphone support
more heavy than average in class (151 grams)
9
can't shoot video
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Panasonic FP2 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FP2 and Sony A550
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Class Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2010-01-06 2009-12-09
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Venus Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4320 x 3240 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 35-140mm (4.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 10cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.90 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 151g (0.33 lbs) 632g (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.8
DXO Low light score not tested 807
Other
Battery life - 480 pictures
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Price at release $80 $749