Panasonic FP3 vs Sony HX5

Following is a complete analysis of the Panasonic FP3 and Sony HX5, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the FP3 (14MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the FP3 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") possess different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FP3 was manufactured 5 months prior to the HX5 and they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FP3 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the FP3 matches up vs the HX5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FP3 Gallery and Sony HX5 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FP3 offers outer dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Sony HX5 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

See the Panasonic FP3 and Sony HX5 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the FP3 against the HX5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FP3 and HX5 is 95 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizes purely by viewing technical specs. The image below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the FP3 and HX5.

As you can tell, both of the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FP3 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic FP3 will render extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively.