Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A380

Following is a in-depth assessment of the Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A380, 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 A380 (14MP) is fairly similar but the FS15 (1/2.3") and A380 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

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The FS15 was launched 7 months before the A380 so they are of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the FS15 scores vs the A380 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A380. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FS15 Gallery and Sony A380 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Panasonic FS15 provides external dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Sony A380 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A380 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the FS15 versus the A380.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the FS15 and A380 is 95 and 68 respectively.

In many cases, its tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The image here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS15 and A380.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The FS15 featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A380 will offer you greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged FS15 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.