Panasonic FP5 vs Sony RX100 III

Let's look much closer at the Panasonic FP5 and Sony RX100 III, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the FP5 (14MP) and RX100 III (20MP) and the FP5 (1/2.3") and RX100 III (1") boast totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FP5 was unveiled 4 years earlier than the RX100 III and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony RX100 III being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go into a in depth comparison, here is a quick view of how the FP5 scores against the RX100 III in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III. The full galleries are available at Panasonic FP5 Gallery and Sony RX100 III Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera often, you will have to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FP5 has physical dimensions of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 III has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") along with a weight of 290 grams (0.64 lbs).

See the Panasonic FP5 and Sony RX100 III in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the FP5 vs the RX100 III.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the FP5 and RX100 III is 95 and 89 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by looking through specs. The visual below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FP5 and RX100 III.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FP5 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF harder and the Sony RX100 III will result in more detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older FP5 will be behind in sensor technology.