Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FS15

Following is a detailed review of the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic FS15, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-420 (10MP) and the FS15 (12MP) is fairly similar but the E-420 (Four Thirds) and FS15 (1/2.3") boast different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-420 was revealed 6 months earlier than the FS15 so they are of a similar generation. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-420 matches up against the FS15 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery and Panasonic FS15 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry around your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-420 comes with outer dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") and a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS15 has sizing of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic FS15 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-420 against the FS15.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and FS15 is 77 and 95 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reviewing specs. The picture underneath may provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and FS15.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-420 using its larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Panasonic FS15 will offer more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively.