Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42
86 Imaging
48 Features
60 Overall
52
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95 Imaging
33 Features
10 Overall
23
Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs
(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
(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.
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Gallery
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.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Panasonic FS42
E-P3 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | August 2011 | ![]() | April 2009 | Newer by 29 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial exact focus | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Display resolution | 614k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+384k dot) |
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-P3
FS42 | E-P3 |
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Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Panasonic FS42
E-P3 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | 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.
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.
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Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P3 and FS42 is 86 and 95 respectively.
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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.
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-P3 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-P3 | Panasonic 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 |