Clicky

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
82
Imaging
53
Features
73
Overall
61
Olympus OM-D E-M10 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 Key Specs

Olympus E-M10
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 396g - 119 x 82 x 46mm
  • Launched March 2014
  • New Model is Olympus E-M10 II
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
  • Announced April 2009
Europe Approves Revolutionary AI Legislation

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M10 versus Panasonic FS12, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the E-M10 (16MP) and FS12 (12MP) and the E-M10 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

Nikon Coolpix camera search on Google skyrockets by 8,500%

The E-M10 was manufactured 4 years later than the FS12 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M10 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a concise view of how the E-M10 scores versus the FS12 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Fujifilm accuses Eastman Kodak of patent violation in new lawsuit
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M10 over the Panasonic FS12

 E-M10 FS12 
AnnouncedMarch 2014April 2009More recent by 60 months
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus E-M10

 FS12 E-M10 

Common features in the Olympus E-M10 and Panasonic FS12

 E-M10 FS12 
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M10 comes with external measurements of 119mm x 82mm x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") having a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs) while the Panasonic FS12 has dimensions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M10 versus Panasonic FS12 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-M10 vs the FS12.

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M10 and FS12 is 82 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its difficult to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by going over specs. The graphic here should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M10 and FS12.

All in all, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-M10 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M10 will offer you more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more recent E-M10 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Peek Behind the Lens of 'Photographer' and Their Go-To Cameras

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Portrait photography details
Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography details
71
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
21
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Ulanzi's Tripod Ensures Ultra Smooth Filming

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Street photography factors
Panasonic FS12 Street photography factors
77
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
heavier than competition (396g)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Leica struggles with L-Mount camera sales, tougher than Q or M

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FS12 Sports photography advice
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
no phase detect AF
25
image stabilization (Optical)
low fps (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
AI-Powered Photo Editing Tools Could Be Added to WhatsApp

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Travel photography information
Panasonic FS12 Travel photography information
67
comes with focus by touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
heavier than competition (396 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse recording
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
TikTok Developing Photo App to Challenge Instagram's Dominance

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M10
Landscape photography with Panasonic FS12
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
28
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
no Timelapse recording
Google AI Gemini Could Enhance iPhone Experience, Talks Suggest

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M10 Vlogging advice
Panasonic FS12 Vlogging advice
33
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic socket
heavier than competition (396g)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
no external microphone jack
Apple patent reveals improved iPhone camera durability

Olympus E-M10 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M10 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus OM-D E-M10Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M10 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Launched 2014-03-18 2009-04-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII -
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 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 1600
Maximum boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 31-124mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 5.80 m (ISO100) 6.30 m
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual(1/1(FULL)~1/64) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 396g (0.87 lb) 129g (0.28 lb)
Physical dimensions 119 x 82 x 46mm (4.7" x 3.2" x 1.8") 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 884 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (12 sec., 2 sec.,custom (Waiting time 1-30sec.,Shooting interval 0.5/1/2/3sec.,Number of shots 1-10)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $600 $228