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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
81
Imaging
52
Features
70
Overall
59
Olympus OM-D E-M5 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
  • Introduced April 2012
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M5 II
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Expand 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 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Here, we are contrasting the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") posses different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 was unveiled 3 years later than the FS42 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick summation of how the E-M5 matches up vs the FS42 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic FS42

 E-M5 FS42 
IntroducedApril 2012April 2009More recent by 37 months
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution610k230kCrisper display (+380k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-M5

 FS42 E-M5 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FS42

 E-M5 FS42 
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 features physical measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic FS42 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M5 and the FS42.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and FS42 is 81 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reviewing specifications. The photograph here should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 and FS42.

To sum up, the 2 cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 will offer you more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-M5 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Portrait photography info
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography info
71
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
19
lack of manual focus
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Street photography info
Panasonic FS42 Street photography info
82
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
weather proofing
good ISO range (25,600)
47
fixed screen
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
does not have RAW format
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5
Sports photography with Panasonic FS42
67
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
weather proofing
no phase detect AF
16
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 Travel photography information
Panasonic FS42 Travel photography information
66
weather proofing
comes with focus by touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
51
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
low MP (10MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Landscape photography camera
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather proofing
does not have Time Lapse function
22
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
does not have RAW format
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5
Vlogging with Panasonic FS42
34
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have mic jack
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 resolution)
no mic jack
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Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus OM-D E-M5Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Class Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2012-04-30 2009-04-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.5"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 25600 1000
Maximum boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 6.3
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of display 610k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 1,440k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 9.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.30 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 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
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 425g (0.94 lb) 132g (0.29 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 71 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 826 not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $799 $580