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Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
54
Imaging
61
Features
93
Overall
73
Olympus OM-D E-M1X front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1X
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 997g - 144 x 147 x 75mm
  • Introduced January 2019
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Push to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Announced April 2009
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Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Below, we are matching up the Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-M1X (20MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the E-M1X (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") use different sensor sizes.

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The E-M1X was brought out 9 years after the FS42 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the E-M1X scores against the FS42 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1X over the Panasonic FS42

 E-M1X FS42 
AnnouncedJanuary 2019April 2009More modern by 119 months
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-M1X

 FS42 E-M1X 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1X and Panasonic FS42

 E-M1X FS42 

Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M1X provides external dimensions of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 997 grams (2.20 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-M1X compared to the FS42.

Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1X and FS42 is 54 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizes simply by researching specs. The pic here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1X and FS42.

All in all, both of those cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M1X featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M1X will render greater detail having its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-M1X provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M1X
Portrait photography with Panasonic FS42
76
focusing manually
MP count decent (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
19
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
megapixel count low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Street photography features
Panasonic FS42 Street photography features
67
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
has touch focus
environment sealing
very good high ISO (25,600)
more heavy than average in class (997 grams)
47
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW files
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Sports photography highlights
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography highlights
80
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high max fps (60.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
great battery life (870 shots)
has phase detect auto focus
16
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Travel photography factors
Panasonic FS42 Travel photography factors
68
great battery life (870 CIPA)
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
has touch focus
MP count decent (20MP)
selfie friendly display
more heavy than average in class (997g)
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse function
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1X as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Landscape photography camera
79
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
great battery life (870 CIPA)
has double storage slots
22
lack of manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
doesn't have RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1X Vlogging details
Panasonic FS42 Vlogging details
68
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focus
video res high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
has external microphone port
more heavy than average in class (997 grams)
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone socket
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Olympus E-M1X vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1X and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus OM-D E-M1XPanasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1X Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Pro Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2019-01-24 2009-04-17
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip Dual TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.5"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 25600 1000
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Min enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 6.3
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.5 inches
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter rate 60.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.30 m
Flash modes Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes (USB-PD allows charging by laptop or external power bank) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Built-in None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 997g (2.20 pounds) 132g (0.29 pounds)
Dimensions 144 x 147 x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 870 photographs -
Battery type Built-in -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage - SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Two Single
Price at release $2,999 $580