Clicky

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
31
Overall
33
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II front
Portability
89
Imaging
50
Features
74
Overall
59

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II Key Specs

Panasonic FX78
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 100 x 55 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FX77
Sony RX100 II
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 281g - 102 x 58 x 38mm
  • Announced June 2013
  • Old Model is Sony RX100
  • Replacement is Sony RX100 III
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Panasonic FX78 and Sony RX100 II, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the FX78 (12MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the FX78 (1/2.3") and RX100 II (1") provide totally different sensor sizes.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The FX78 was unveiled 3 years prior to the RX100 II which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the FX78 matches up against the RX100 II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

        

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX78 over the Sony RX100 II

 FX78 RX100 II 
Display dimensions3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 II over the Panasonic FX78

 RX100 II FX78 
AnnouncedJune 2013January 2011More modern by 29 months
Focus manually More accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FX78 and Sony RX100 II

 FX78 RX100 II 
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Panasonic FX78 comes with exterior dimensions of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) and the Sony RX100 II has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FX78 and Sony RX100 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the FX78 vs the RX100 II.

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the FX78 and RX100 II is 95 and 89 respectively.

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is difficult to see the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading through specs. The picture below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the FX78 and RX100 II.

All in all, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FX78 with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony RX100 II will resolve greater detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged FX78 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II sensor size comparison

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FX78 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 II as a Portrait photography camera
21
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
70
has manual focus
above average flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
features face detection focusing
saves RAW files
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Street Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Street photography highlights
Sony RX100 II Street photography highlights
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
saves RAW files
lighter than average in class (281 grams)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Sports photography factors
Sony RX100 II Sports photography factors
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking focus
maximum shutter speed is a little low (1/1,400s)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
low battery (200 CIPA)
doesn't have phase detect AF
66
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
features tracking autofocus
good battery (350 CIPA)
no phase detect AF
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Travel photography advice
Sony RX100 II Travel photography advice
56
built-in flash
rather wide (24mm)
no Timelapse function
low battery (200 shots)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
79
good battery (350 CIPA)
lighter than average in class (281g)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Landscape photography features
Sony RX100 II Landscape photography features
36
rather wide (24mm)
big screen (3.5")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
no manual control
megapixel count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
low battery (200 per charge)
no Timelapse function
73
has manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
saves RAW files
good battery (350 CIPA)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FX78 Vlogging information
Sony RX100 II Vlogging information
33
rather wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
no microphone port
37
quite wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average in class (281 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external mic port
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Panasonic FX78 vs Sony RX100 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FX78 and Sony RX100 II
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Alternative name Lumix DMC-FX77 -
Category Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-01-25 2013-06-27
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine FHD -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 160
RAW format
Minimum boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 24-120mm (5.0x) 28-100mm (3.6x)
Highest aperture f/2.5-5.9 f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.9 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology TFT LCD Xtra Fine WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic (optional)
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1400 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 5.60 m 15.00 m (ISO Auto (W))
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 142g (0.31 lbs) 281g (0.62 lbs)
Physical dimensions 100 x 55 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") 102 x 58 x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 67
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.5
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 483
Other
Battery life 200 shots 350 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (10 sec. / 2 sec. / Self-portrait One-person/ Self-portrait Two-person/ Self timer Continuous (3 or 5 shots))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $210 $598