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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Released October 2019
  • Superseded the Olympus E-M5 II
  • Newer Model is OM System OM-5
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Increase to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Introduced April 2009
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") boast totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 III was launched 10 years later than the FS42 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-M5 III matches up versus the FS42 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic FS42

 E-M5 III FS42 
IntroducedOctober 2019April 2009More recent by 128 months
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 FS42 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic FS42

 E-M5 III FS42 

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 III offers physical measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") along with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Panasonic FS42 has specifications of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 III 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 dependant on the lens you select at that time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-M5 III and the FS42.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and FS42 is 80 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to envision the difference in sensor measurements purely by viewing technical specs. The graphic underneath might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 III and FS42.

As you have seen, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 III because of its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-M5 III will result in greater detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The younger E-M5 III is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography advice
77
focusing manually
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
19
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
external flash not possible
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Street photography highlights
Panasonic FS42 Street photography highlights
83
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
includes focus via touch
weather proof
above average ISO range (25,600)
47
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
no RAW format
max ISO too low (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Sports photography with Panasonic FS42
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
high fps (30.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
weather proof
has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery (310 per charge)
16
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography features
Panasonic FS42 Travel photography features
77
weather proof
has bluetooth
includes focus via touch
MP count good (20MP)
display is selfie friendly
not so great battery (310 shots)
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse function
MP count low (10 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Landscape photography with Panasonic FS42
77
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proof
not so great battery (310 CIPA)
22
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.5")
no manual mode
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
max ISO too low (1,000)
no RAW format
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 III
Vlogging with Panasonic FS42
84
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
has microphone socket
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 pxls)
no external microphone port
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Class Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Released 2019-10-17 2009-04-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.5"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 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
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 6.3
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.5"
Resolution of display 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Max quiet shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 30.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.30 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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 jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 414 grams (0.91 pounds) 132 grams (0.29 pounds)
Physical dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 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 310 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $1,199 $580