Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A230

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Panasonic FS15 and Sony A230, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the FS15 (12MP) and the A230 (10MP) is fairly comparable but the FS15 (1/2.3") and A230 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The FS15 was launched 4 months earlier than the A230 and they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a quick summation of how the FS15 grades vs the A230 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. The complete galleries are available at Panasonic FS15 Gallery and Sony A230 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FS15 features external measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Sony A230 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") along with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FS15 and Sony A230 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the FS15 vs the A230.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FS15 and A230 is 95 and 69 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions merely by seeing specs. The picture underneath may offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the FS15 and A230.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The FS15 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Panasonic FS15 will provide extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images far more aggressively.