Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A6500

Here is a comprehensive review of the Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A6500, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the FS12 (12MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the FS12 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizing.

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The FS12 was announced 8 years prior to the A6500 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summary of how the FS12 matches up vs the A6500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 and Sony Alpha a6500. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic FS12 Gallery and Sony A6500 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic FS12 features physical measurements of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Sony A6500 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FS12 vs Sony A6500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the FS12 and the A6500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FS12 and A6500 is 95 and 81 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading through specs. The graphic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the FS12 and A6500.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FS12 with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A6500 will resolve more detail with its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The older FS12 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.