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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Revealed August 2011
  • Older Model is Olympus E-P2
  • Successor is Olympus E-P5
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Bump 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-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FS42, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the FS42 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P3 was introduced 2 years after the FS42 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-P3 scores against the FS42 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic FS42

 E-P3 FS42 
AnnouncedAugust 2011April 2009Newer by 29 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution614k230kClearer display (+384k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-P3

 FS42 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FS42

 E-P3 FS42 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera often, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P3 comes with external dimensions of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Panasonic FS42 has measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FS42 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the E-P3 against the FS42.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and FS42 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions just by looking through a spec sheet. The pic underneath may offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P3 and FS42.

As you can see, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 having a larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-P3 will render greater detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos much more aggressively. The more recent E-P3 is going to have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Panasonic FS42
60
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low resolution (12MP)
19
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
resolution not great (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.5")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Street photography factors
Panasonic FS42 Street photography factors
76
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
features touch to focus
fixed screen
47
no moving screen
no image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.5")
lacks RAW format
maximum ISO low (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Sports photography features
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography features
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
has no phase detect autofocus
16
max frames per second low (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
resolution not great (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.5")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Travel photography camera
60
features touch to focus
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low resolution (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
51
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
resolution not great (10MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Landscape photography camera
65
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low resolution (12 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
22
manual focus not available
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
no manual control
no image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.5")
maximum ISO low (1,000)
lacks RAW format
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone socket
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 resolution)
missing microphone support
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus PEN E-P3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-P3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Revealed 2011-08-17 2009-04-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.5"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 1000
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 35 -
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
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 6.3
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.5 inches
Display resolution 614k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported 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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 369g (0.81 pounds) 132g (0.29 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $0 $580