Panasonic FP2 vs Sony RX100 III

Here is a extended review of the Panasonic FP2 and Sony RX100 III, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the FP2 (14MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the FP2 (1/2.3") and RX100 III (1") provide totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FP2 was released 5 years before the RX100 III and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FP2 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summation of how the FP2 matches up against the RX100 III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FP2 Gallery and Sony RX100 III Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Panasonic FP2 offers external measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs) while the Sony RX100 III has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FP2 and Sony RX100 III in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the FP2 against the RX100 III.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the FP2 and RX100 III is 95 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing just by looking at specs. The visual here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the FP2 and RX100 III.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FP2 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony RX100 III will give more detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older FP2 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.