Panasonic FP3 vs Sony A200

Following is a complete review of the Panasonic FP3 and Sony A200, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the FP3 (14MP) and A200 (10MP) and the FP3 (1/2.3") and A200 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The FP3 was introduced 18 months after the A200 making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FP3 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A200 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the FP3 scores versus the A200 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A200. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic FP3 Gallery and Sony A200 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FP3 offers outside measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony A200 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 2.8") having a weight of 572 grams (1.26 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FP3 and Sony A200 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the FP3 and the A200.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FP3 and A200 is 95 and 66 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes purely by viewing specs. The image here might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the FP3 and A200.

As you can plainly see, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FP3 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic FP3 will render more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more modern FP3 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.