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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Revealed August 2014
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL7
Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Released April 2009
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-PL6 versus Panasonic FS12, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL6 (16MP) and FS12 (12MP) and the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL6 was launched 5 years later than the FS12 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL6 scores vs the FS12 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Panasonic FS12

 E-PL6 FS12 
ReleasedAugust 2014April 2009Fresher by 65 months
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus E-PL6

 FS12 E-PL6 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic FS12

 E-PL6 FS12 

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL6 offers outside dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS12 has specifications of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL6 versus Panasonic FS12 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL6 and the FS12.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL6 and FS12 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizing purely by researching technical specs. The graphic below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL6 and FS12.

As you can tell, both of those cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL6 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL6 will provide you with extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The newer E-PL6 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography information
71
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focus
delivers RAW files
21
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Street photography details
Panasonic FS12 Street photography details
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
offers focus via touch
above average high ISO (25,600)
57
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Sports photography information
Panasonic FS12 Sports photography information
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
has no phase detect auto focus
25
image stabilization (Optical)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Travel photography details
Panasonic FS12 Travel photography details
85
offers focus via touch
good megapixels (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FS12 Landscape photography info
80
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
28
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic FS12 Vlogging highlights
79
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have mic socket
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone port
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Revealed 2014-08-01 2009-04-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 31-124mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 8.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 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)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 325 grams (0.72 pounds) 129 grams (0.28 pounds)
Dimensions 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 360 photos -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at release $300 $228