Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic FS42

On this page, we will be analyzing the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic FS42, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") offer different sensor sizing.

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The E-M5 II was revealed 5 years later than the FS42 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-M5 II grades versus the FS42 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery and Panasonic FS42 Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys exterior measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS42 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic FS42 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 II compared to the FS42.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and FS42 is 80 and 95 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through technical specs. The visual below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and FS42.

As you can tell, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 II with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-M5 II will provide you with more detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 II provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.