Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FS42
85 Imaging
48 Features
47 Overall
47
95 Imaging
33 Features
10 Overall
23
Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
- Announced February 2011
- Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL1s
- Newer Model is Olympus E-PL3
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1000 (Push to 6400)
- 640 x 480 video
- 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
- 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
- Revealed April 2009
Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview
On this page, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic FS42, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the FS42 (10MP) is relatively close but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") offer different sensor size.
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhoneThe E-PL2 was unveiled 23 months after the FS42 which makes them a generation away from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL2 grades vs the FS42 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FS42 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Panasonic FS42 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Panasonic FS42
E-PL2 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | February 2011 | April 2009 | More modern by 23 months | |
Focus manually | Dial accurate focus | |||
Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") | |
Screen resolution | 460k | 230k | Sharper screen (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-PL2
FS42 | E-PL2 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic FS42
E-PL2 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
Selfie screen | Neither has selfie screen | |||
Touch screen | Neither has Touch screen |
Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison
If you're going to carry around your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL2 has external measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Panasonic FS42 has measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).
Check out the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic FS42 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL2 against the FS42.
Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and FS42 is 85 and 95 respectively.
Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it's tough to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by looking through specifications. The pic below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and FS42.
To sum up, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL2 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL2 will render greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger E-PL2 provides a benefit in sensor tech.
Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL2 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL2 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 |
Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Announced | 2011-02-11 | 2009-04-17 |
Body design | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | 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 surface area | 224.9mm² | 24.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 10 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 3648 x 2736 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 1000 |
Max boosted ISO | - | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 80 |
RAW images | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 11 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
Maximum aperture | - | f/2.8-5.9 |
Macro focusing range | - | 5cm |
Number of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 6.3 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3 inch | 2.5 inch |
Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen technology | HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 60s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shooting speed | 3.0fps | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 10.00 m | 6.30 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/160s | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported 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 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 proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 362g (0.80 lbs) | 132g (0.29 lbs) |
Physical dimensions | 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") | 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 55 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | 21.4 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 10.2 | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | 573 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 280 images | - |
Battery form | Battery Pack | - |
Battery ID | BLS-5 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC card, Internal |
Storage slots | One | One |
Cost at launch | $0 | $580 |