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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 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 W650
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 124g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Released January 2012
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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 Overview

Lets look closer at the Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the FS12 (12MP) and W650 (16MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The FS12 was introduced 3 years before the W650 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony W650 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a brief view of how the FS12 scores vs the W650 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Sony W650

 FS12 W650 

Reasons to pick Sony W650 over the Panasonic FS12

 W650 FS12 
ReleasedJanuary 2012April 2009More recent by 33 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Panasonic FS12 and Sony W650

 FS12 W650 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic FS12 comes with outside 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) while the Sony W650 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 124 grams (0.27 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is a front view size comparison of the FS12 against the W650.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the FS12 and W650 is 95 and 96 respectively.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 Sensor Comparison

Often, its difficult to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by viewing specifications. The visual below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the FS12 and W650.

Plainly, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Sony W650 to provide you with extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots way more aggressively. The older FS12 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography factors
Sony W650 Portrait photography factors
21
no manual focus
no manual control
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
34
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
offers face detect focusing
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FS12
Street photography with Sony W650
57
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors in class (124 grams)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS12 as a Sports photography camera
Sony W650 as a Sports photography camera
25
image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second low (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
max frames per second low (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS12 Travel photography highlights
Sony W650 Travel photography highlights
51
built-in flash
no Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
69
lighter than competitors in class (124g)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS12 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W650 as a Landscape photography camera
28
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Timelapse mode
43
really wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FS12
Vlogging with Sony W650
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
no external microphone jack
33
really wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect focusing
lighter than competitors in class (124g)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have microphone jack
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Panasonic FS12 vs Sony W650 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS12 and Sony W650
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650
Class Ultracompact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-04-17 2012-01-10
Body design Ultracompact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 -
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
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
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 31-124mm (4.0x) 25-125mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing distance 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech - Clear Photo TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 2 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 3.70 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone 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) 124 gr (0.27 pounds)
Physical dimensions 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 220 images
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, microSD/micro SDHC, Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $228 $140