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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
85
Imaging
55
Features
78
Overall
64
Olympus PEN E-PL9 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 6400 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
  • Introduced February 2018
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL8
Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Introduced April 2009
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

Following is a complete analysis of the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FS12, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and FS12 (12MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL9 was released 8 years after the FS12 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-PL9 grades vs the FS12 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Panasonic FS12

 E-PL9 FS12 
IntroducedFebruary 2018April 2009More modern by 108 months
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kCrisper screen (+810k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus E-PL9

 FS12 E-PL9 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FS12

 E-PL9 FS12 
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 offers outer dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") and a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) and the Panasonic FS12 has sizing of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FS12 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL9 vs the FS12.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL9 and FS12 is 85 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reviewing specifications. The picture here might provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL9 and FS12.

Plainly, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL9 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL9 will offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more modern E-PL9 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL9
Portrait photography with Panasonic FS12
73
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
21
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL9
Street photography with Panasonic FS12
84
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
comes with touch to focus
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-PL9
Sports photography with Panasonic FS12
69
quiet shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
no phase detect AF
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL9
Travel photography with Panasonic FS12
77
has bluetooth
comes with touch to focus
good MP (16MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
51
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL9 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FS12 Landscape photography advice
80
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
28
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL9
Vlogging with Panasonic FS12
35
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
lack of microphone socket
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not good (31mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
low res video (640 x 480 pxls)
does not have microphone port
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus PEN E-PL9Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PL9 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Introduced 2018-02-08 2009-04-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VIII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 6400 1600
Max boosted ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW files
Lowest boosted ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 31-124mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Highest quiet shutter speed 1/16000 secs -
Continuous shooting speed 8.6 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.60 m (at ISO 200) 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 640x480
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone 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 380g (0.84 pounds) 129g (0.28 pounds)
Physical dimensions 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 350 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $599 $228