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Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58

Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
 
Sony SLT-A58 front
Portability
68
Imaging
62
Features
72
Overall
66

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 Key Specs

Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Expand to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Revealed April 2009
Sony A58
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 492g - 129 x 95 x 78mm
  • Released November 2013
  • Replaced the Sony A57
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Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic FS42 versus Sony A58, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and A58 (20MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and A58 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor size.

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The FS42 was released 5 years prior to the A58 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a simple overview of how the FS42 scores against the A58 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Sony A58

 FS42 A58 

Reasons to pick Sony A58 over the Panasonic FS42

 A58 FS42 
ReleasedNovember 2013April 2009More recent by 56 months
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS42 and Sony A58

 FS42 A58 
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch display Neither includes Touch display

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic FS42 features external measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) whilst the Sony A58 has proportions of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") and a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic FS42 versus Sony A58 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the FS42 against the A58.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the FS42 and A58 is 95 and 68 respectively.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading through specifications. The graphic underneath might offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the FS42 and A58.

To sum up, the two cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FS42 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony A58 will give more detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos far more aggressively. The older FS42 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography features
Sony A58 Portrait photography features
19
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
megapixel count low (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks RAW support
77
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Street photography details
Sony A58 Street photography details
47
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks RAW support
max ISO too low (1,000)
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FS42
Sports photography with Sony A58
16
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks phase detect AF
81
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
better than average battery life (690 shots)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A58 as a Travel photography camera
51
flash built-in
missing Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (10MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
63
better than average battery life (690 shots)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A58 as a Landscape photography camera
22
focusing manually not possible
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5")
manual exposure not possible
no image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
max ISO too low (1,000)
lacks RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
70
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
better than average battery life (690 per charge)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A58 as a Vlogging camera
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
missing microphone support
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes external mic jack
screen is not selfie friendly
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Panasonic FS42 vs Sony A58 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS42 and Sony A58
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42Sony SLT-A58
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 Sony SLT-A58
Type Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2009-04-17 2013-11-27
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 5.744 x 4.308mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor area 24.7mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 5456 x 3632
Highest native ISO 1000 16000
Highest enhanced ISO 6400 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 33-132mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 6.3 1.6
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.65x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames per sec 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync -
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Highest video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 132 grams (0.29 pounds) 492 grams (1.08 pounds)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") 129 x 95 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 74
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.5
DXO Low light rating not tested 753
Other
Battery life - 690 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) -
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $580 $645