Panasonic FP5 vs Sony A580

Here is a in depth assessment of the Panasonic FP5 and Sony A580, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FP5 (14MP) and the A580 (16MP) is pretty well matched but the FP5 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The FP5 was manufactured 4 months earlier than the A580 so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a short introduction of how the FP5 matches up against the A580 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The entire galleries are provided at Panasonic FP5 Gallery & Sony A580 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FP5 provides physical measurements of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FP5 and Sony A580 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the FP5 vs the A580.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FP5 and A580 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing only by checking technical specs. The visual here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the FP5 and A580.

As you can tell, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The FP5 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A580 will give you greater detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively.