Panasonic FS15 vs Sony A57

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic FS15 and Sony A57, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a huge gap among the image resolutions of the FS15 (12MP) and A57 (16MP) and the FS15 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The FS15 was unveiled 4 years before the A57 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple overview of how the FS15 matches up against the A57 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 and Sony SLT-A57. The full galleries are available at Panasonic FS15 Gallery and Sony A57 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera often, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FS15 provides outside measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic FS15 and Sony A57 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 use at that moment. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the FS15 versus the A57.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FS15 and A57 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing merely by researching specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FS15 and A57.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FS15 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A57 will result in extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures much more aggressively. The older FS15 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.