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Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III

Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 III front
Portability
63
Imaging
74
Features
92
Overall
81

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III Key Specs

Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Announced January 2009
Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Expand to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Released February 2018
  • Earlier Model is Sony A7 II
  • Renewed by Sony A7 IV
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Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III Overview

On this page, we will be looking at the Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the sensor resolutions of the FS15 (12MP) and A7 III (24MP) and the FS15 (1/2.3") and A7 III (Full frame) have totally different sensor size.

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The FS15 was brought out 10 years before the A7 III and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the FS15 grades against the A7 III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Sony A7 III

 FS15 A7 III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Panasonic FS15

 A7 III FS15 
ReleasedFebruary 2018January 2009More recent by 110 months
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Panasonic FS15 and Sony A7 III

 FS15 A7 III 
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III Physical Comparison

If you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FS15 enjoys external measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Sony A7 III has dimensions of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") along with a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the FS15 and the A7 III.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FS15 and A7 III is 95 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor measurements just by reading through specifications. The visual below might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the FS15 and A7 III.

To sum up, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FS15 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Sony A7 III will resolve more detail having its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older FS15 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic FS15
Portrait photography with Sony A7 III
20
manual focus not available
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
84
has manual focus
resolution is good (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Street photography highlights
Sony A7 III Street photography highlights
56
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
78
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
weather proofing
great high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Sports photography factors
Sony A7 III Sports photography factors
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
87
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking focus
weather proofing
better than average battery pack (610 CIPA)
comes with phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Travel photography advice
Sony A7 III Travel photography advice
51
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
73
better than average battery pack (610 per charge)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
comes with focus via touch
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Panasonic FS15
Landscape photography with Sony A7 III
27
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not available
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
85
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
resolution is good (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
great high ISO (51,200)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
better than average battery pack (610 shots)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FS15
Vlogging with Sony A7 III
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have external mic support
36
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect autofocus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have microphone support
does not offer selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A7 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS15 and Sony A7 III
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15Sony Alpha A7 III
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 Sony Alpha A7 III
Class Ultracompact Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2009-01-16 2018-02-27
Physical type Ultracompact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 1600 51200
Maximum enhanced ISO 6400 204800
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 693
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 29-145mm (5.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 3840x2160
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 136 gr (0.30 pounds) 650 gr (1.43 pounds)
Physical dimensions 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 96
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 3730
Other
Battery life - 610 photos
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 Dual
Price at release $180 $1,998