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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
86
Imaging
53
Features
81
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL7 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL7
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2014
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL6
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Boost to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Revealed April 2009
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-PL7 (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the E-PL7 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL7 was revealed 5 years later than the FS42 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-PL7 scores versus the FS42 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL7 over the Panasonic FS42

 E-PL7 FS42 
RevealedSeptember 2014April 2009More recent by 66 months
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-PL7

 FS42 E-PL7 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic FS42

 E-PL7 FS42 

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL7 has got outer dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the E-PL7 vs the FS42.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL7 and FS42 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing specs. The graphic here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL7 and FS42.

All in all, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL7 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL7 will provide more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger E-PL7 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Portrait photography details
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography details
71
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focus
supports RAW formats
19
lack of manual focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
MP count low (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.5")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL7
Street photography with Panasonic FS42
84
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
supports focus by touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
47
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.5")
lacks RAW support
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL7
Sports photography with Panasonic FS42
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
does not have phase detect auto focus
16
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.5")
lacks phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Travel photography camera
85
supports focus by touch
resolution is good (16MP)
selfie friendly display
51
built-in flash
no Time Lapse mode
MP count low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography advice
79
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
22
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
manual mode not available
no image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
lacks RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL7 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Vlogging camera
78
selfie friendly display
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lack of microphone socket
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pixels)
no mic port
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Olympus E-PL7 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL7 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus PEN E-PL7Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2014-09-01 2009-04-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII -
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 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 25600 1000
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 81 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 6.3
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 8.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 6.30 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 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 H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 357 grams (0.79 lb) 132 grams (0.29 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 72 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 873 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 photos -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model BLS-50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $499 $580