Panasonic FX48 vs Panasonic G2 Comparison

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Panasonic FX48

12 MP | 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) CCD Sensor

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Panasonic G2

12 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic FX48 vs Panasonic G2 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Panasonic cameras cameras with different body types: Panasonic FX48, which was introduced in January 2009 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Panasonic G2, which was introduced in July 2010 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Four Thirds sensor. There is 17 months difference between FX48 and G2 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger G2, especially in sensor tech.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic FX48 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-01-27

12MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200 ( expands to 6400)

25-125 mm F2.8-5.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

2 fps continuous shooting

- 640 x 480 video resolution

150g. 95 x 53 x 22 mm

Also known as Lumix DMC-FX40

Panasonic G2 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2010-07-12

12MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

Micro Four Thirds Mount

3" Fully Articulated Screen

1440k dot Electronic viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

428g. 124 x 84 x 74 mm

Replaced Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Compare

Panasonic G2 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 (Lumix DMC-FX40)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Weight	150 g vs 428 g	278 g lighter

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48

LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Electronic vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max ISO	6.400 vs 3.200	100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.5"	0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/3000s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 2.0fps	1 fps faster
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Flash Coverage	11.0m vs 6.0m	5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	18.74µm² vs 2.31µm²	711% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720 vs 640 x 480	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2

LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 460k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Panasonic FX48 vs Panasonic G2: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic FX48 has external dimensions of 95 x 53 x 22 mm (3.74 x 2.09 x 0.87″) and weighs 150 g (0.33 lb / 5.29 oz) (including batteries). Panasonic G2 has external dimensions of 124 x 84 x 74 mm (4.88 x 3.31 x 2.91″) and weighs 428 g (0.94 lb / 15.10 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2. Panasonic FX48 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 29mm narrower, 31mm shorter and 52mm thinner than Panasonic G2. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Panasonic FX48 has a built-in lens but Panasonic G2 doesn't. Once you put a lens on G2, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Panasonic FX48 is significantly lighter (278g ) than the Panasonic G2 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on G2, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 (Lumix DMC-FX40) nor Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic G2's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Panasonic FX48's 2.5" screen.

Moreover, Panasonic G2 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Panasonic FX48 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G2.

Panasonic FX48 vs Panasonic G2: Sensor Comparison

Both Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Panasonic FX48's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) and Panasonic G2's sensor is Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ).

Since Panasonic G2's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Panasonic FX48.

Below you can see the FX48 and G2 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 Cameras

As seen above, Panasonic G2 has a 8.1x Larger sensor area than Panasonic FX48. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic FX48 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Panasonic G2 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic G2 for Street Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 for Sports Photography

POOR

Panasonic G2 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
Average Max shutter speed: 1/3000s
125 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
Read the details

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic G2 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Compact Body
150g
Body Thickness 22mm
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
428g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Panasonic G2 for Landscape Photography

POOR

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Panasonic FX48 vs Panasonic G2: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic FX48 and Panasonic G2 scores compare:

Panasonic FX48

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #299 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #930 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Panasonic G2

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #79 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #327 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Panasonic G2 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Panasonic FX48 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Panasonic FX48. Otherwise, Panasonic G2 is the better camera overall.

Panasonic G2 vs Panasonic FX48 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48	Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
Brand	Panasonic	Panasonic
Announced	2009-01-27	2010-07-12
Body Type	Compact	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CCD	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	Four Thirds
Dimensions	6.08 x 4.56 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	27.72mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	4000 x 3000	4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	6400 ISO	-
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 ISO	100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	11	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Micro Four Thirds
Lens Focal Range	25-125 mm (5×)	no lens
Max Aperture	F2.8-5.9	no lens
Macro Focus Range	5cm	no lens
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	2.5"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder	1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.55x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/3000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	6.00 m	11.00 m
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps	3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	640 x 480	1280 x 720
Video Formats	Motion JPEG	AVCHD Lite, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	150g	428g
Dimensions	95 x 53 x 22mm	124 x 84 x 74mm
Battery Life	n/a	360 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	53
DxO Color Depth	not tested	21.2
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	10.3
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	493
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