Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A55

Below is a comprehensive assessment of the Panasonic FS15 and Sony A55, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Panasonic and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the image resolutions of the FS15 (12MP) and A55 (16MP) and the FS15 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) use different sensor sizing.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The FS15 was announced 19 months earlier than the A55 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the FS15 matches up against the A55 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 & Sony SLT-A55. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FS15 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FS15 enjoys outside dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Panasonic FS15 and Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the FS15 against the A55.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FS15 and A55 is 95 and 67 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to picture the gap in sensor measurements merely by viewing technical specs. The visual below will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the FS15 and A55.

As you have seen, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FS15 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh trickier and the Sony A55 will render more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older FS15 will be behind in sensor tech.