Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42

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.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery and Panasonic FS42 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.