Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A500

Let's look more closely at the Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A500, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FP5 (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the FP5 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The FP5 was brought out 17 months later than the A500 making them a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the FP5 scores against the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic FP5 Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FP5 has got outer measurements of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Sony A500 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the FP5 and the A500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the FP5 and A500 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements just by looking at specifications. The graphic here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the FP5 and A500.

Plainly, each of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FP5 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Panasonic FP5 will resolve greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images way more aggressively. The younger FP5 should have a benefit in sensor tech.