Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A550
95 Imaging
37 Features
33 Overall
35
63 Imaging
54 Features
65 Overall
58
Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
- 141g - 101 x 59 x 18mm
- Introduced January 2011
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Revealed December 2009
- Replaced the Sony A100
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A550 Overview
In this article, we are looking at the Panasonic FP5 and Sony A550, former is a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FP5 (14MP) and the A550 (14MP) is fairly close but the FP5 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.
Photography GlossaryThe FP5 was brought out 14 months after the A550 making the cameras a generation away from each other. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the FP5 scores vs the A550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic FP5 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic FP5 over the Sony A550
| FP5 | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revealed | January 2011 |  | December 2009 | Newer by 14 months |
| Touch friendly display |  | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Panasonic FP5
| A550 | FP5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually |  | Dial accurate focusing | ||
| Display type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting display |
| Display resolution | 922k |  | 230k | Sharper display (+692k dot) |
Common features in the Panasonic FP5 and Sony A550
| FP5 | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display sizing | 3" |  | 3" | Equivalent display size |
| Selfie screen |  | Neither offers selfie screen |
Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic FP5 offers physical measurements of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
Analyze the Panasonic FP5 and Sony A550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the FP5 vs the A550.
Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the FP5 and A550 is 95 and 63 respectively.
Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor dimensions only by researching specs. The picture underneath should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the FP5 and A550.
All in all, each of the cameras offer the same exact MP but not the same sensor dimensions. The FP5 has the smaller sensor which will make achieving bokeh harder. The newer FP5 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor technology.
Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder
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Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A550 Specifications
| Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand | Panasonic | Sony |
| Model type | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 |
| Class | Ultracompact | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Introduced | 2011-01-05 | 2009-12-09 |
| Body design | Ultracompact | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | Venus Engine IV | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 6.08 x 4.56mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 27.7mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 14 megapixels | 14 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Peak resolution | 4320 x 3240 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Highest native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
| Min native ISO | 100 | 200 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Selective autofocus | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Autofocus live view | ||
| Face detect focus | ||
| Contract detect focus | ||
| Phase detect focus | ||
| Total focus points | 11 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Lens zoom range | 35-140mm (4.0x) | - |
| Highest aperture | f/3.5-5.9 | - |
| Macro focusing range | 10cm | - |
| Number of lenses | - | 143 |
| Crop factor | 5.9 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
| Display size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of display | 230k dot | 922k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Display tech | TFT Touch Screen LCD | - |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Max shutter speed | 1/1600 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
| Continuous shutter speed | 6.0 frames/s | 7.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 4.90 m | 12.00 m |
| Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Max flash sync | - | 1/160 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment metering | ||
| Average metering | ||
| Spot metering | ||
| Partial metering | ||
| AF area metering | ||
| Center weighted metering | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | - |
| Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | None |
| Video format | Motion JPEG | - |
| Microphone jack | ||
| Headphone jack | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 141g (0.31 lb) | 632g (1.39 lb) |
| Dimensions | 101 x 59 x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | not tested | 66 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 21.9 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.8 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 807 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 260 shots | 480 shots |
| Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | - | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Storage slots | Single | Single |
| Retail pricing | $199 | $749 |