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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
79
Overall
62

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV Key Specs

Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • 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
  • Announced April 2009
Sony RX100 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 298g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Released June 2015
  • Old Model is Sony RX100 III
  • Renewed by Sony RX100 V
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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the FS12 (12MP) and RX100 IV (20MP) and the FS12 (1/2.3") and RX100 IV (1") feature different sensor sizing.

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The FS12 was launched 7 years before the RX100 IV which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the FS12 matches up vs the RX100 IV in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Sony RX100 IV

 FS12 RX100 IV 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 IV over the Panasonic FS12

 RX100 IV FS12 
ReleasedJune 2015April 2009More modern by 74 months
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kClearer screen (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Panasonic FS12 and Sony RX100 IV

 FS12 RX100 IV 
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic FS12 offers outside measurements 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 RX100 IV has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the FS12 and the RX100 IV.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FS12 and RX100 IV is 95 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes just by looking at technical specs. The image here will give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the FS12 and RX100 IV.

As you can tell, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FS12 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony RX100 IV will give extra detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged FS12 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography factors
Sony RX100 IV Portrait photography factors
21
no manual focus
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
65
has manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Street photography details
Sony RX100 IV Street photography details
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
85
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (298g)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Sports photography highlights
Sony RX100 IV Sports photography highlights
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
68
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
high max frames per second (16.0 fps)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Travel photography advice
Sony RX100 IV Travel photography advice
51
has built in flash
missing Timelapse recording
low resolution sensor (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (31mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
86
lighter than competition in class (298 grams)
good MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
relatively wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FS12
Landscape photography with Sony RX100 IV
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (31mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
74
has manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Vlogging advice
Sony RX100 IV Vlogging advice
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (31mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external microphone port
81
relatively wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection focusing
great video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (298 grams)
does not have external microphone socket
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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony RX100 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS12 and Sony RX100 IV
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
Category Ultracompact Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-04-17 2015-06-10
Physical type Ultracompact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Max boosted ISO 6400 25600
Min native ISO 80 125
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 31-124mm (4.0x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Highest aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 2.7
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames per sec 16.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.30 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 129g (0.28 lb) 298g (0.66 lb)
Dimensions 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 70
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 562
Other
Battery life - 280 images
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $228 $898