Olympus E-330 vs Panasonic FS42

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-330 versus Panasonic FS42, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the E-330 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") posses totally different sensor size.

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The E-330 was unveiled 4 years before the FS42 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short view of how the E-330 grades versus the FS42 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-330 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-330 Gallery & Panasonic FS42 Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-330 enjoys exterior dimensions of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) while the Panasonic FS42 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-330 versus Panasonic FS42 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have during that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the E-330 against the FS42.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-330 and FS42 is 65 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it can be difficult to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by looking at technical specs. The picture below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-330 and FS42.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-330 with its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FS42 will resolve more detail having an extra 3MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged E-330 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.