Olympus E-M1 III vs Panasonic FS15

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic FS15, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference between the resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and FS15 (12MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and FS15 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1 III was launched 11 years later than the FS15 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-M1 III matches up vs the FS15 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 III Gallery and Panasonic FS15 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 III has external dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) and the Panasonic FS15 has measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-M1 III and Panasonic FS15 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the E-M1 III compared to the FS15.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 III and FS15 is 67 and 95 respectively.

Often, it's hard to envision the gap between sensor sizing merely by checking specifications. The visual underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 III and FS15.

To sum up, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 III because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M1 III will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 III is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.