Sony Alpha 7R II vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha 7R II and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha 7R II was introduced in June 2015 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 was introduced in January 2010. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 7R II over Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 over Sony Alpha 7R II.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha 7R II has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 1,229k dot resolution and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 has a 2.70" Fixed screen with 230k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Sony Alpha 7R II very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Electronic (OLED) Viewfinder on Sony Alpha 7R II

Sony Alpha 7R II has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.78x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1.

Sony Alpha 7R II features a 42.4 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 24 mm and a total area of 861.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600 and expands to 50 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.33-inch CCD sensor with dimensions of 6.08 x 4.56 mm and a total area of 20.8 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 6,400.

Sony Alpha 7R II has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Sony Alpha 7R II is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 7974 x 5316 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like Full Frame (3:2 - 5168 x 3448, 3984 x 2656, 16:9 - 7952 x 4472, 5168 x 2912, 3984 x 2240), APS-C (3:2 - 5168 x 3448, 3984 x 2656, 2592 x 1728, 16:9 - 5168 x 2912, 3984 x 2240, 2592 x 1456) with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 is equipped with Venus Engine IV processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 2672, 4000 x 2248, 3264 x 2448, 2560 x 1920, 2048 x 1536, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sony Alpha 7R II

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sony Alpha 7R II. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization (4.5 stops of compensation in Sony Alpha 7R II). On Sony Alpha 7R II it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony Alpha 7R II

Sony Alpha 7R II has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Sony Alpha 7R II

Sony Alpha 7R II has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha 7R II comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 290 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha 7R II has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo Hybrid (UHS-I) card slot. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Sony Alpha 7R II has Electronically controlled Vertical-traverse Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Sony Alpha 7R II, and up to 1/1600 sec on Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1. Sony Alpha 7R II can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 can shoot continuously up to 5.5 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 7R II has 399 focusing points and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 has 9 focusing points. Sony Alpha 7R II has detection range from -2 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sony Alpha 7R II ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Sony Alpha 7R II and ±2 range on Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1. You can also do exposure lock and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 7R II and exposure bracketing on Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1.

Flash

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 4.90 m Auto ISO. Sony Alpha 7R II has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Sony Alpha 7R II.

Sony Alpha 7R II body has dimensions of 127 x 96 x 60 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.36") and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 body has dimensions of 99 x 59 x 19 mm (3.9 x 2.32 x 0.75"). Sony Alpha 7R II weighs 625 g (1.38 lb / 22.05 oz) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 weighs 151 g (0.33 lb / 5.33 oz).

Sony Alpha 7R II

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1

127 mm

96 mm

99 mm

59 mm

96 mm

59 mm

60 mm

19 mm