Panasonic FZ300 vs Sony HX99

Its time to take a deeper look at the Panasonic FZ300 and Sony HX99, both Small Sensor Superzoom cameras by brands Panasonic and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the FZ300 (12MP) and HX99 (18MP) and the FZ300 (1/2.3") and HX99 (1/2.3-inch) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The FZ300 was unveiled 4 years before the HX99 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FZ300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony HX99 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the FZ300 scores versus the HX99 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ300 Gallery & Sony HX99 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FZ300 comes with physical dimensions of 132mm x 92mm x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6") accompanied by a weight of 691 grams (1.52 lbs) and the Sony HX99 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 242 grams (0.53 lbs).

Analyze the Panasonic FZ300 and Sony HX99 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the FZ300 vs the HX99.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the FZ300 and HX99 is 59 and 91 respectively.

Usually, it is very hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions simply by viewing specifications. The image below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the FZ300 and HX99.

Plainly, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The FZ300 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony HX99 will render extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged FZ300 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.