Clicky

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500

Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 front
Portability
91
Imaging
43
Features
56
Overall
48

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 Key Specs

Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
Sony WX500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 236g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Introduced April 2015
  • Superseded the Sony WX350
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the FS15 (12MP) and WX500 (18MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The FS15 was announced 7 years prior to the WX500 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick view of how the FS15 grades versus the WX500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

				

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Sony WX500

 FS15 WX500 

Reasons to pick Sony WX500 over the Panasonic FS15

 WX500 FS15 
IntroducedApril 2015January 2009Fresher by 75 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS15 and Sony WX500

 FS15 WX500 
Focus manually No manual focusing
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FS15 has outer dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) and the Sony WX500 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 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 based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the FS15 against the WX500.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the FS15 and WX500 is 95 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing only by reading a spec sheet. The photograph underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS15 and WX500.

As you can see, both cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit different MP. You can count on the Sony WX500 to offer greater detail with its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The older FS15 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Portrait photography advice
Sony WX500 Portrait photography advice
20
focusing manually not possible
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
39
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
provides face detection focusing
no manual focus
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Street Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Street photography information
Sony WX500 Street photography information
56
image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
69
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (236 grams)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Sports photography advice
Sony WX500 Sports photography advice
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
57
excellent zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (360 per charge)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS15 as a Travel photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Travel photography camera
51
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
71
better than average battery power (360 CIPA)
lighter than average in class (236 grams)
decent megapixels (18 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
great reach (720mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS15 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Landscape photography camera
27
image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
can't change lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7")
no manual exposure
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
49
pretty wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (18MP)
better than average battery power (360 per charge)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse mode
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS15 Vlogging info
Sony WX500 Vlogging info
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not the best (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
low res video (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external mic jack
35
pretty wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (236g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
does not have external mic support
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Panasonic FS15 vs Sony WX500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS15 and Sony WX500
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
Category Ultracompact Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2009-01-16 2015-04-14
Physical type Ultracompact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Max boosted ISO 6400 -
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 29-145mm (5.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.3-5.9 f/3.5-6.4
Macro focusing range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 136g (0.30 lb) 236g (0.52 lb)
Physical dimensions 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
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 - 360 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $180 $348