Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 II

Below is a complete review of the Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 II, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the FS12 (12MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the FS12 (1/2.3") and RX100 II (1") boast different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FS12 was announced 5 years prior to the RX100 II and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the FS12 scores vs the RX100 II in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic FS12 Gallery and Sony RX100 II Gallery.

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FS12 offers outer dimensions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Sony RX100 II has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the FS12 versus the RX100 II.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FS12 and RX100 II is 95 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it's tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through technical specs. The graphic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS12 and RX100 II.

As you have seen, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FS12 using its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony RX100 II will produce more detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older FS12 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.