Panasonic FZ40 vs Sony HX5

Below, we will be reviewing the Panasonic FZ40 versus Sony HX5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the FZ40 (14MP) and HX5 (10MP) and the FZ40 (1/2.3") and HX5 (1/2.4") use different sensor dimensions.

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The FZ40 was unveiled 2 months later than the HX5 which means that they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony HX5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a brief overview of how the FZ40 scores against the HX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ40 Gallery & Sony HX5 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Panasonic FZ40 has external measurements of 120mm x 80mm x 92mm (4.7" x 3.1" x 3.6") along with a weight of 494 grams (1.09 lbs) and the Sony HX5 has sizing 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 FZ40 versus Sony HX5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the FZ40 versus the HX5.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the FZ40 and HX5 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Generally, its tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements only by going over technical specs. The visual here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the FZ40 and HX5.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FZ40 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FZ40 will deliver more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots much more aggressively.