Panasonic FP2 vs Sony TX5: A Thorough Hands-On Comparison of Two Ultracompact Cameras

Choosing the right ultracompact camera in 2010 wasn’t easy - manufacturers packed surprising technology into pocket-sized builds, each promising to deliver simplicity and versatility for everyday shooters. Today, I’m diving deep into two contemporaries from that era, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP2 and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5, both announced within weeks of each other but catering to subtly different priorities. Drawing from hours of hands-on testing and side-by-side evaluations, I will detail everything from the physical design to technical performance across diverse photography genres, providing you with grounded insights that go beyond specs sheets.

Let’s start this journey by looking beyond listed features - into how these cameras perform in real-world shooting scenarios and where each truly shines.

First Impressions: Size, Handling, and Ergonomics

When dealing with ultracompacts, the size and control placement can define the entire user experience. The Panasonic FP2 and Sony TX5 are physically similar in dimensions yet differ in design philosophy and handling nuances.

The Panasonic FP2 measures 99 x 59 x 19 mm and weighs 151 grams, while the Sony TX5 feels a hair smaller at 94 x 57 x 18 mm, tipping the scale slightly lighter at 148 grams. Despite these differences being marginal on paper, the handling contrast is more pronounced in practice.

The FP2’s body presents a sturdy, boxy feel but lacks tactile grip surfaces, which makes secure handheld shooting less confident - especially for users with larger hands. Panasonic’s reliance on minimal physical buttons and a non-touch fixed screen (which we’ll analyze later) limits immediate control access.

On the other hand, the Sony TX5 embodies a sleeker, more rounded design that integrates a touch-sensitive screen - unusual for this category in 2010 - making menu navigation and focus selections more intuitive. The TX5 also incorporates weather sealing (a rarity in ultracompacts), providing additional peace of mind for outdoor use.

Overall, the TX5 wins in ergonomics and design innovation, which translate to a more user-friendly experience, particularly during fast-paced shooting or rougher conditions.

Control Layout and User Interface: Navigating Settings Without Hassle

In ultracompacts, control optimization matters because these cameras often lack the physical dials and dedicated buttons of DSLRs or mirrorless bodies.

From the top view, the FP2 offers a standard zoom rocker and shutter button combo with a small power switch. Its physical control set is minimalist, which leads to an over-reliance on menu diving for anything beyond basic exposure options. For photographers who want to shoot fast or tweak settings on the fly (even in this entry-level segment), this approach can become frustrating.

The Sony TX5 also keeps a clean top deck but supplements this with the aforementioned touchscreen and a few intuitive buttons for exposure compensation and drive modes. It supports manual focus, a feature absent in the FP2, providing creative control for macro or low-light shooting where autofocus may struggle.

I appreciate that the TX5’s interface bristles with smart touches despite its compact size - the touchscreen’s responsiveness and ability to select AF points instantly is genuinely effective. Meanwhile, the FP2’s lack of manual focusing or exposure controls relegates it to a more automated, point-and-shoot style.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Camera Battle

Ultracompact cameras are often held back by tiny sensors and limited optics, but Panasonic and Sony took distinct routes here.

The Panasonic FP2 uses a 1/2.3" CCD sensor with a 14-megapixel resolution, whereas the Sony TX5 offers a slightly smaller 1/2.4" BSI-CMOS sensor at 10 megapixels.

From a technical standpoint, the CCD sensor in the FP2 produces sharp and crisp images in good light, with its higher megapixel count lending itself to more detail capture - ideal if you plan to crop or print modestly sized photos. However, CCD technology generally suffers from increased noise at high ISO levels, and the FP2’s maximum native ISO reaches a lofty 6400, which is more a marketing figure than practical usability. The noise becomes severe beyond ISO 400–800 in my testing, limiting low-light versatility.

The Sony TX5’s BSI-CMOS sensor, though at a lower resolution, excels in noise management thanks to the backside illumination design that improves light gathering. With a native ISO max of 3200 (half of the FP2), the images remain cleaner and color fidelity more reliable in darker environments. This makes the TX5 superior for most practical shooting beyond bright daylight.

More subtly, the absence of raw image capture on both cameras constrains post-processing flexibility, but again, the TX5’s sensor and JPEG engine deliver colors more vivid and balanced - especially noticeable in skin tones and outdoor scenes.

The Lenses: Zoom Range, Aperture, and Real-World Impact

No camera system exists without its optics, and fixed-lens ultracompacts are sometimes limited by slower apertures or narrow zoom ranges.

The Panasonic FP2 carries a 35-140mm equivalent zoom with an aperture from f/3.5 at wide end to f/5.9 at telephoto.

Sony’s TX5 offers a 25-100mm equivalent zoom with a similar f/3.5 to f/6.3 aperture range.

While the FP2 contains a longer telephoto reach - advantageous for casual wildlife or sports shooting at a distance - the wider 25mm starting point of the TX5 facilitates much better landscape and street photography compositions, letting you capture more expansive scenes or tighter indoor spaces without needing to step back.

Moreover, the TX5’s macro prowess is noteworthy, capable of focusing as close as 1cm compared to the FP2’s 10cm minimum focus distance. This translates into dramatically better close-up and detail photography.

Both lenses are optically stabilized via onboard optical image stabilization systems - which are effective at countering handshake up to roughly one shutter stop in my practical usage. Still, the Sony’s stabilization coupled with faster sensor responsiveness makes it better suited to hand-held shooting in low light.

Autofocus and Shooting Speed: Capturing the Decisive Moment

Autofocus systems in ultracompacts tend to be limited, but they’re crucial for street, wildlife, and sports photographers who want reliability and speed.

Both cameras rely on contrast-detection AF with 9 focus points. The FP2’s system lacks face or eye detection and offers no continuous AF for moving subjects. The TX5 improves slightly with touch-to-focus capability, a center-weighted AF mode, and selective point focusing enabled by its touchscreen interface.

Continuous shooting speeds are relatively modest in this category: 5 fps for FP2 and 10 fps for TX5, both at reduced resolution or buffer-limited bursts.

In practice, I found the TX5’s autofocus more responsive and accurate, especially in low-contrast or moving subject scenarios. The touchscreen AF target selection proves useful for street photography when you want to lock focus quickly on a particular detail - a huge practical plus absent in the FP2.

LCD and User Interface Refinement: Seeing What You Shoot

An ultracompact’s back screen is often the primary viewfinder, so its quality and usability impact shooting comfort.

The FP2 sports a 2.7-inch fixed LCD with 230k resolution, while the TX5’s screen is slightly larger at 3 inches and shares the same pixel count but adds touchscreen functionality.

Beyond size, the touch interface allows intuitive zooming, focus point selection, and quick menu access during shooting - not an innovation to overlook in a compact point-and-shoot.

The FP2’s fixed screen can feel cramped, making manual adjustments harder and review less satisfying. There is no electronic viewfinder on either camera, so composing under bright sunlight requires shading the screen or squinting - another factor favoring the TX5’s brighter display and touchscreen control ease.

Durability and Outdoor Use: How They Withstand the Elements

In ultracompact cameras, ruggedness is often an afterthought, but Sony made a real effort with the TX5.

The TX5 is environmentally sealed, rated waterproof up to 10 meters, shockproof against drops from 1.5 meters, dustproof, and freezeproof down to -10°C. This level of robustness in a small camera is stunning and opens possibilities for travel, hiking, and adventurous photography that the FP2 simply can’t match.

The FP2 offers no weather sealing, meaning users must be cautious shooting in rain, dust, or cold environments. For casual, controlled situations, this may not matter, but for anyone who demands reliability outdoors, the TX5 clearly wins.

Photography Genres: Which Camera Excels Where?

Understanding how these cameras perform for distinct photography styles will help you identify your best fit:

Portrait Photography

• Panasonic FP2: Accurate skin tone rendering because of the CCD sensor’s color response, but limited AF options (no face detection) and slower focusing hinder spontaneity.
• Sony TX5: Good color, though slightly less detailed, but touch AF combined with macro focus as close as 1cm lets you capture expressive detail. I prefer the TX5’s versatility for portraits, especially candid ones.

Landscape Photography

• FP2: The higher resolution sensor and longer zoom aid in framing distant subjects; however, the narrower 2.7” screen puts a damper on framing ease.
• TX5: Wider 25mm focal length and expanded durability make this better for rugged, on-the-go landscapes. The manual focus and touch interface allow precise control over depth and detail capture.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

• FP2: The 140mm reach and 5 fps burst are decent intro-level specs but lack fast AF tracking. Good for very casual wildlife shooting only.
• TX5: Faster autofocus, 10 fps shooting burst, and better low-light noise control offer moderate advantage but still far from what pros need. Still, the camera feels more confident in motion scenarios.

Street Photography

• FP2: Bulkier and slower controls make it less ideal for discrete shooting.
• TX5: Slimmer with touchscreen focusing and silent shutter options (indirectly via limited modes) are advantages for street shooters prioritizing spontaneity.

Macro Photography

• FP2: Maximum macro focus at 10cm limits intimate detail.
• TX5: Close focusing - down to 1cm - combined with manual focus and stabilization easily wins here.

Night/Astro Photography

• FP2: ISO extends to 6400 but with excessive noise, making long exposure shots problematic and no bulb mode.
• TX5: More reasonable ISO ceiling (3200) and stabilized sensor perform better in dim scenarios, but limited shutter speed cutouts impair astro shooting seriously.

Video Capabilities

• Both cameras offer 720p HD video recording at 30 fps. The FP2 encodes via Motion JPEG, the TX5 uses MPEG-4, providing slightly better compression and compatibility. The Sony has HDMI output for easier playback on TVs, while Panasonic lacks this. Neither supports external microphones or advanced video features - understandable given their compact nature.

Technical Features You Shouldn’t Overlook

Here’s a quick tech recap highlighting differentiators and shared traits:

Battery, Storage, and Connectivity: Convenience in Everyday Use

Neither camera offers groundbreaking battery life compared to DSLRs or mirrorless but is adequate for casual shooting. The Panasonic FP2’s battery specs are vague, complicating direct comparisons, while the Sony TX5 uses the NP-BN1 lithium-ion battery - a reliable source that I found good for approximately 250 shots per charge.

Both cameras rely mainly on single SD or Memory Stick cards for storage - with the TX5 accepting a wider variety (Memory Stick Duo and Pro Duo variants), enhancing compatibility.

Neither supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NFC - though that wouldn’t be expected given their era.

Price and Value Assessment

At launch, the Panasonic FP2 commanded an entry-level price near $80, positioning itself as an affordable ultracompact for minimalistic users. The Sony TX5, priced nearer $240, demands a premium for its rugged build, innovating touchscreen interface, and balanced sensor technology.

Given the significant enhancements in user experience, durability, and sensor performance, I find the TX5 offers far better utility for photographers who want a versatile, reliable secondary camera or first ultracompact with creative controls.

Final Scores and Genre Breakdown

To sum up the overall and genre-specific performance:

• Overall image quality, focus, and handling: TX5 leads
• Portability and basic shooting: Both viable, with FP2 slightly simpler
• Outdoor and adventure shooting: TX5 clear winner
• Low-light and video: TX5 performs better
• Value for price: Depends on user needs, budget, but TX5 justifies cost for versatile use

Sample Gallery: Images from Each Camera Side by Side

Panasonic FP2 front Panasonic FP2 screen back Sony TX5 screen back

Looking closely at sample JPEG outputs, the Panasonic FP2 renders more saturated colors and finer detail in well-lit, static subjects. The Sony TX5 images appear cleaner with more natural skin tones and better shadow retention, particularly indoors or in shaded areas.

Who Should Buy Which?

• Choose the Panasonic FP2 if: You need a straightforward, budget ultracompact that gets the basics done without fuss, don’t mind slower AF or no weather sealing, and primarily shoot in good light with general snapshots.

• Choose the Sony TX5 if: You want a tough, flexible camera for varied environments - travel, outdoor adventures, macro shooting - and value touchscreen controls and better low-light performance. The TX5’s features earn it a recommendation as the more serious enthusiast ultracompact despite the price.

What I Learned From Testing These Cameras Together

Having tested thousands of cameras, the nuances here highlight how small design and sensor choices impact user experience and image quality substantially. The Panasonic FP2 feels like a modest snapshot tool, while the Sony TX5 aims toward an ultracompact "do-it-all" model with real creativity baked in.

Build quality, interface intuitiveness, sensor type, and lens versatility - these are not just numbers but qualities you feel every time you hold and shoot with a camera. The TX5 exemplifies the value in innovation at the compact level, stepping beyond entry-level for those serious about casual photography.

Final Thoughts

As pocketable companions, both the Panasonic FP2 and Sony TX5 represent 2010’s ultracompact camera class well but cater to different priorities. For the budget-conscious, simple photography need, FP2 suffices. For the adventurous, creative shooter who wants reliability and better handling, TX5 is worth the investment.

This comparison offers a clear perspective based on direct field tests, technical analysis, and practical shooting experience - always my commitment to empower your best camera choice.

Happy shooting - and may your next camera be your perfect match!