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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
64
Features
71
Overall
66

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 Key Specs

Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Introduced April 2009
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Launched December 2011
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Panasonic FS12 and Sony NEX-7, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the FS12 (12MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the FS12 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The FS12 was announced 3 years before the NEX-7 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the FS12 scores vs the NEX-7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Sony NEX-7

 FS12 NEX-7 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Panasonic FS12

 NEX-7 FS12 
LaunchedDecember 2011April 2009More recent by 32 months
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS12 and Sony NEX-7

 FS12 NEX-7 
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FS12 provides outside dimensions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony NEX-7 has measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FS12 and Sony NEX-7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the FS12 versus the NEX-7.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the FS12 and NEX-7 is 95 and 84 respectively.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor measurements just by reading technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS12 and NEX-7.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FS12 using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony NEX-7 will offer extra detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older FS12 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography information
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography information
21
no manual focus
no manual mode
no external flash support
MP count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
78
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Street photography highlights
Sony NEX-7 Street photography highlights
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS12 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Sports photography camera
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
62
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
great battery (430 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Travel photography highlights
Sony NEX-7 Travel photography highlights
51
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
70
great battery (430 per charge)
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FS12
Landscape photography with Sony NEX-7
28
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
MP count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW files
lack of Time Lapse mode
72
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
great battery (430 CIPA)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Vlogging info
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging info
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video res low (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external mic socket
35
provides face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have mic jack
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS12 and Sony NEX-7
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12Sony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category Ultracompact Advanced Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-04-17 2011-12-13
Body design Ultracompact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 1600 16000
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 31-124mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 129 gr (0.28 pounds) 400 gr (0.88 pounds)
Dimensions 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 81
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.1
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 1016
Other
Battery life - 430 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $228 $699