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Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500

Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Bump 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 A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed August 2009
  • Later Model is Sony A560
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 Overview

Let's look much closer at the Panasonic FS15 versus Sony A500, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FS15 (12MP) and the A500 (12MP) is relatively close but the FS15 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

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The FS15 was manufactured 7 months prior to the A500 so they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a short summation of how the FS15 grades versus the A500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Sony A500

 FS15 A500 

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Panasonic FS15

 A500 FS15 
RevealedAugust 2009January 2009Newer by 7 months
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Panasonic FS15 and Sony A500

 FS15 A500 
Screen resolution230k230kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FS15 offers outside dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Panasonic FS15 versus Sony A500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the FS15 and the A500.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the FS15 and A500 is 95 and 63 respectively.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to picture the gap in sensor dimensions only by looking through specifications. The picture below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the FS15 and A500.

To sum up, both of these cameras posses the exact same MP albeit different sensor dimensions. The FS15 includes the smaller sensor which is going to make getting shallower depth of field more challenging. The more aged FS15 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Portrait photography info
Sony A500 Portrait photography info
20
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
63
focusing manually
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Panasonic FS15
Street photography with Sony A500
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
74
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS15 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A500 as a Sports photography camera
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
51
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (5.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery power (520 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Panasonic FS15
Travel photography with Sony A500
51
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
43
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low battery power (520 per charge)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Landscape photography factors
Sony A500 Landscape photography factors
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
low megapixels (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
lack of Timelapse recording
60
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
low battery power (520 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Vlogging details
Sony A500 Vlogging details
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
low quality video (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of external microphone port
9
can't record video
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Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS15 and Sony A500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Type Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2009-01-16 2009-08-27
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4272 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 1600 12800
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 -
Min native ISO 80 200
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 29-145mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range - 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
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) -
Maximum video resolution 640x480 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 136 grams (0.30 lb) 630 grams (1.39 lb)
Dimensions 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 64
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.6
DXO Low light score not tested 772
Other
Battery life - 520 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Retail cost $180 $638