Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V are two super zoom cameras that have many comparable features. The field of photography has evolved a lot from the earlier days and today there are some almost magical cameras available in the market. The latest entrants from Panasonic and Sony in super zoom cameras are Lumix DMC-FZ 100 and Cyber shot DSC-HX5V respectively. Though these cameras have a lot of similarities, FZ-100 is more expensive than DSC-HX5V. This article intends to highlight the difference between Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V so as to enable first time buyers in choosing one that is better suited to their requirements and budget.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100
Panasonic is a heavyweight when it comes to manufacturing super zoom cameras and the latest Lumix DMC-FZ100 is no exception. It is not compact by any means and better suited for professional requirements as it is beefy weighing 1.2 pounds. It has a mega zoom, and looks like a small DSLR. Priced at $499, it is certainly cheaper than DSLR’s but then there are no interchangeable lenses and large sensors. It makes up for these shortcomings with a 24x optical zoom and an excellent focal range that stands at 24-600mm. These features make it a best bargain as you may have to spend a lot more to get these features in DSLR. With 25 mm focal length, it makes taking portraits, landscapes and pictures of buildings very easy and 600mm focal length is ideal to capture a far away object like a bird sitting on a tree.
Lumix DMC-FZ100 is loaded with features such as 24x zoom lens, 14 MP high speed sensor, a 3 inch 460K-pixel rotating LCD screen, full HD 1080i video recording, intelligent resolution technology, optional stereo microphone, a shoe at the top for external flash, anti shake technology, and IA mode along with manual shooting.
Lumix DMC-FZ100 provides enough reach and width to fulfill the requirements of even the professionals and its ease of use makes even novices use it without any problem. While it is by no means small, measuring 124.3 x 81.2 x 95.2mm, it has a plastic case which ensures it can easily take an odd knock and can be carried along nicely. With a big LCD, you do not have to pressurize your eyes while looking at objects. There are 14 shooting modes beginning from the easy point and shoot which is for the beginners. The intelligent auto mode, when chosen takes care of the lighting, focus and all other requirements to capture the best possible photo.
Face recognition is one feature that makes this amazing camera recognize faces of up to 6 people and then resets itself according to their faces to capture most stunning photos. There is a motion deblur mode that protects against any movement of the object while taking photos. In the IA mode, three different color setting options are available, including happy mode that adjusts colors, brightness and saturation to capture vivid images.
While recording movies, audio is captured in stereoscopic mode which is better than most other digital cameras. It is HDMI capable, allowing you to instantly watch the HD videos captured by the camera.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V
It is yet another winner from the stable of Sony Cyber Shot cameras with a 10.2 MP CMOS sensor and a 10x optical zoom lens in a very handy camera. The focal length range is 25mm to 250 mm, which is enough for all users except the professionals who need a bigger focal length for capturing far away objects. It can capture images in the ratio of 4:3 at a resolution of 3648 x 2736 pixels, and also in 16:9 ratios at a resolution of 3648 x 2056 pixels. When making videos, it records sounds in Dolby Digital stereo sound. Surprisingly, despite priced at just $350, it is equipped with an updated version of Sony’s Sweep panorama function.
There is a 3” TFT LCD panel to watch the objects and there is no view finder panel. It has a face recognition system and can recognize up to 8 faces. It is GPS enabled with a compass allowing for tagging photos with location and direction. It is integrated with Google earth, which allows the user to tag photos on maps with location. There are both intelligent as well as manual shooting modes. It has 15 scene modes that provide the user with a control over the look of the final photos. This feature is a stunning one as it captures photos in all modes and then combines all of them to come up with the best possible result.
The camera has an internal memory of 45 MB that allows capturing some important photos if you forget to carry external memory card. The camera, though it has many features of more expensive cameras is very reasonably priced and this is because of Sony’s use of own built sensor, lenses and processors. One unique feature of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V 10 FPS continuous shooting that enables the camera to fir 10 shots in a second. Although this is a very impressive feature, it takes some time to write all 10 shots into memory.
All in all, this is a clear winner from Sony that scores high on all aspects and has features that can put to shame highly priced cameras.