Olympus E-M1 vs Panasonic FS42

Lets look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-M1 and Panasonic FS42, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the E-M1 (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-M1 was launched 4 years later than the FS42 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-M1 grades versus the FS42 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-M1 Gallery & Panasonic FS42 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1 enjoys outside dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has specifications 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-M1 and Panasonic FS42 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 against the FS42.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 and FS42 is 71 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it is very tough to picture the contrast in sensor measurements just by checking out a spec sheet. The graphic underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and FS42.

As you can see, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M1 will show greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-M1 should have an edge in sensor technology.