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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Released June 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-410
Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Expand to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Released April 2009
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic FS12, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the FS12 (12MP) is pretty similar but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-420 was manufactured 9 months before the FS12 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-420 matches up against the FS12 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic FS12

 E-420 FS12 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus E-420

 FS12 E-420 
ReleasedApril 2009June 2008More recent by 9 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic FS12

 E-420 FS12 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size2.7"2.7"Same screen measurements
Screen resolution230k230kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch screen Neither offers Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-420 offers outside measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS12 has proportions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-420 versus Panasonic FS12 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-420 compared to the FS12.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the E-420 and FS12 is 77 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is tough to envision the difference between sensor measurements merely by going over technical specs. The visual underneath may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-420 and FS12.

As you have seen, each of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-420 featuring a bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh simpler and the Panasonic FS12 will deliver more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots way more aggressively. The older E-420 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography information
56
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
21
no manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Street photography camera
64
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than others in class (426g)
no moving screen
no image stabilization
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-420 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Sports photography camera
38
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
low battery life (500 per charge)
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography features
Panasonic FS12 Travel photography features
52
lighter than others in class (426g)
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse function
low battery life (500 CIPA)
low megapixels (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic FS12 Landscape photography highlights
47
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no image stabilization
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
low battery life (500 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
28
has image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-420
Vlogging with Panasonic FS12
9
no video shooting
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
video resolution low (640 x 480 pixels)
no microphone socket
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus E-420Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-420 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Released 2008-06-23 2009-04-17
Physical type Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 1600 1600
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 31-124mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
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)
Highest video resolution None 640x480
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 gr (0.94 lb) 129 gr (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 score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $999 $228