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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
82
Overall
67

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 Key Specs

Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Revealed April 2009
Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Announced May 2011
  • Previous Model is Sony A100
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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 Overview

In this article, we are evaluating the Panasonic FS12 and Sony A580, former is a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the FS12 (12MP) and A580 (16MP) and the FS12 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor measurements.

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The FS12 was brought out 3 years earlier than the A580 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a short overview of how the FS12 matches up against the A580 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Sony A580

 FS12 A580 

Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Panasonic FS12

 A580 FS12 
AnnouncedMay 2011April 2009Newer by 25 months
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kClearer display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS12 and Sony A580

 FS12 A580 
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch display Neither has Touch display

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic FS12 has outside dimensions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A580 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FS12 and Sony A580 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the FS12 and the A580.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FS12 and A580 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to picture the difference in sensor dimensions only by checking out technical specs. The picture below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the FS12 and A580.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The FS12 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A580 will show extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images far more aggressively. The more aged FS12 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography features
Sony A580 Portrait photography features
21
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
external flash not possible
low resolution (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
74
has manual focus
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Street photography advice
Sony A580 Street photography advice
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
75
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FS12
Sports photography with Sony A580
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
low fps (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
78
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
good battery life (1,050 per charge)
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Travel photography factors
Sony A580 Travel photography factors
51
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse function
low resolution (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
61
good battery life (1,050 CIPA)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FS12
Landscape photography with Sony A580
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
low resolution (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
missing Time Lapse function
74
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (1,050 shots)
2 card slots
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Vlogging highlights
Sony A580 Vlogging highlights
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
missing mic port
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A580 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS12 and Sony A580
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
Class Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2009-04-17 2011-05-26
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO 6400 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 31-124mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 129 gr (0.28 pounds) 599 gr (1.32 pounds)
Dimensions 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 80
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 1121
Other
Battery life - 1050 photos
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Two
Launch cost $228 $848