Panasonic FZ80 vs Sony NEX-C3

Lets look much closer at the Panasonic FZ80 and Sony NEX-C3, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the FZ80 (18MP) and the NEX-C3 (16MP) is fairly well matched but the FZ80 (1/2.3") and NEX-C3 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The FZ80 was unveiled 5 years later than the NEX-C3 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the FZ80 grades versus the NEX-C3 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 and Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The full galleries are provided at Panasonic FZ80 Gallery and Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FZ80 provides external measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") accompanied by a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) and the Sony NEX-C3 has measurements of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FZ80 and Sony NEX-C3 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the FZ80 versus the NEX-C3.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FZ80 and NEX-C3 is 63 and 91 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements purely by checking technical specs. The photograph underneath might give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the FZ80 and NEX-C3.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FZ80 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Panasonic FZ80 will resolve greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The younger FZ80 should have an edge in sensor technology.