Panasonic FS42 vs Sony HX5
95 Imaging
33 Features
10 Overall
23


92 Imaging
33 Features
30 Overall
31
Panasonic FS42 vs Sony HX5 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1000 (Raise to 6400)
- 640 x 480 video
- 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
- 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
- Released April 2009
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 125 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-250mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 200g - 102 x 58 x 29mm
- Launched June 2010

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony HX5 Overview
Lets look more in depth at the Panasonic FS42 versus Sony HX5, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. The resolution of the FS42 (10MP) and the HX5 (10MP) is pretty close but the FS42 (1/2.5") and HX5 (1/2.4") have totally different sensor measurements.

The FS42 was revealed 14 months earlier than the HX5 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.
Before delving into a detailed comparison, here is a simple synopsis of how the FS42 scores vs the HX5 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony HX5 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FS42 Gallery and Sony HX5 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Sony HX5
FS42 | HX5 |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony HX5 over the Panasonic FS42
HX5 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | June 2010 | ![]() | April 2009 | More recent by 14 months |
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Common features in the Panasonic FS42 and Sony HX5
FS42 | HX5 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Lack of manual focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Same screen resolution |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither provides selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Neither provides Touch friendly screen |
Panasonic FS42 vs Sony HX5 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FS42 provides physical measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).
See the Panasonic FS42 versus Sony HX5 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the FS42 compared to the HX5.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the FS42 and HX5 is 95 and 92 respectively.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony HX5 Sensor Comparison
Generally, its tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements purely by looking through specs. The graphic below will give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the FS42 and HX5.
All in all, both the cameras feature the identical resolution albeit not the same sensor measurements. The FS42 features the smaller sensor which is going to make getting shallower DOF trickier. The older FS42 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony HX5 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony HX5 Specifications
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Panasonic | Sony |
Model | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 |
Category | Ultracompact | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2009-04-17 | 2010-06-16 |
Physical type | Ultracompact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.5" | 1/2.4" |
Sensor dimensions | 5.744 x 4.308mm | 6.104 x 4.578mm |
Sensor surface area | 24.7mm² | 27.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 3456 x 2592 |
Max native ISO | 1000 | 3200 |
Max boosted ISO | 6400 | - |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 125 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | - | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | 33-132mm (4.0x) | 25-250mm (10.0x) |
Highest aperture | f/2.8-5.9 | f/3.5-5.5 |
Macro focus range | 5cm | 5cm |
Crop factor | 6.3 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display diagonal | 2.5 inches | 3 inches |
Display resolution | 230 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
Highest shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/1600 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 2.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 6.30 m | 3.80 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync | Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (60, 30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 640x480 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | Motion JPEG | AVCHD |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 132 grams (0.29 lb) | 200 grams (0.44 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") | 102 x 58 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light score | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery model | - | NP-BG1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait1/portrait2) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC card, Internal | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo/ PRO HG-Duo, optional SD/SDHC, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Retail pricing | $580 | $275 |