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Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
31
Overall
38
Olympus E-400 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 Key Specs

Olympus E-400
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 435g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Announced September 2006
  • Renewed by Olympus E-410
Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Revealed April 2009
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Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-400 versus Panasonic FS12, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-400 (10MP) and the FS12 (12MP) is relatively well matched but the E-400 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-400 was revealed 3 years before the FS12 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-400 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-400 matches up vs the FS12 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-400 over the Panasonic FS12

 E-400 FS12 
Focus manually Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus E-400

 FS12 E-400 
RevealedApril 2009September 2006More recent by 31 months
Screen dimensions2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k215kCrisper screen (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic FS12

 E-400 FS12 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-400 provides exterior dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) and the Panasonic FS12 has sizing of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-400 versus Panasonic FS12 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-400 against the FS12.

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-400 and FS12 is 77 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its hard to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements just by looking at specifications. The photograph below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-400 and FS12.

To sum up, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-400 using its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic FS12 will give greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-400 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-400
Portrait photography with Panasonic FS12
46
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
lack of manual exposure
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
21
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-400 Street photography features
Panasonic FS12 Street photography features
60
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
57
image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-400
Sports photography with Panasonic FS12
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
does not have liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-400
Travel photography with Panasonic FS12
49
has built in flash
no Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (10MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
51
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-400
Landscape photography with Panasonic FS12
45
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
does not have liveview
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
28
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual control
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-400 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of microphone jack
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Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-400 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus E-400Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-400 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Type Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Announced 2006-09-14 2009-04-17
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 1600 1600
Maximum boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 31-124mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5" 2.7"
Display resolution 215k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 640x480
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 435g (0.96 lb) 129g (0.28 lb)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $599 $228