Panasonic FP7 vs Sony A500

Here is a comprehensive overview of the Panasonic FP7 versus Sony A500, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the FP7 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the FP7 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) come with different sensor size.

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The FP7 was brought out 17 months later than the A500 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FP7 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a simple summary of how the FP7 grades versus the A500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FP7 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.

When you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FP7 comes with external measurements of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 147 grams (0.32 lbs) while the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FP7 versus Sony A500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the FP7 against the A500.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the FP7 and A500 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Often, it's hard to picture the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at technical specs. The visual here might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the FP7 and A500.

As you can tell, both of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FP7 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic FP7 will give extra detail having its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The younger FP7 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.