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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus E-P2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Released April 2010
  • Old Model is Olympus E-P1
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-P3
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
  • Launched April 2009
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Let's look a little more closely at the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic FS42, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-P2 (12MP) and the FS42 (10MP) is fairly similar but the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") come with different sensor size.

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The E-P2 was brought out 13 months later than the FS42 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting through a detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the E-P2 scores vs the FS42 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P2 over the Panasonic FS42

 E-P2 FS42 
LaunchedApril 2010April 2009Fresher by 13 months
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-P2

 FS42 E-P2 

Common features in the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic FS42

 E-P2 FS42 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P2 has outside dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic FS42 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-P2 against the FS42.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P2 and FS42 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizing simply by reviewing specs. The visual underneath will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P2 and FS42.

All in all, both of those cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-P2 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-P2 will deliver extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The younger E-P2 should have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Portrait photography info
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography info
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
19
lack of manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P2
Street photography with Panasonic FS42
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
47
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks RAW support
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P2 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Sports photography camera
40
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames/s)
low MP (12MP)
bad battery power (300 per charge)
lacks phase detect AF
16
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FS42 Travel photography advice
43
lack of Time Lapse function
bad battery power (300 CIPA)
low MP (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
51
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse function
MP count low (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P2 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography info
60
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
bad battery power (300 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
22
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
no manual mode
no image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
lacks RAW support
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P2 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Vlogging camera
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focusing
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of mic jack
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video resolution low (640 x 480 resolution)
missing mic port
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Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus PEN E-P2Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Released 2010-04-22 2009-04-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic V -
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 12MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 1000
Max enhanced ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 -
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 range - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 6.3
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.5"
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 355g (0.78 lbs) 132g (0.29 lbs)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 505 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photos -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $799 $580