Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42
85 Imaging
55 Features
78 Overall
64
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95 Imaging
33 Features
10 Overall
23
Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 6400 (Expand to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 380g - 117 x 68 x 39mm
- Revealed February 2018
- Older Model is Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1000 (Increase to 6400)
- 640 x 480 video
- 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
- 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
- Introduced April 2009
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview
Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Ultracompact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL9 (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the E-PL9 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.
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The E-PL9 was released 8 years later than the FS42 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before going in to a complete comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-PL9 matches up vs the FS42 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL9 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL9 Gallery & Panasonic FS42 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL9 over the Panasonic FS42
E-PL9 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | February 2018 | ![]() | April 2009 | Fresher by 108 months |
Manual focus | ![]() | More exact focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
Screen resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+810k dot) |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-PL9
FS42 | E-PL9 |
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Common features in the Olympus E-PL9 and Panasonic FS42
E-PL9 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither comes with selfie screen |
Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison
If you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL9 comes with outer dimensions of 117mm x 68mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") having a weight of 380 grams (0.84 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS42 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).
Contrast the Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-PL9 against the FS42.
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Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL9 and FS42 is 85 and 95 respectively.
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Olympus E-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is hard to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The photograph here will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL9 and FS42.
All in all, both of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL9 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL9 will show extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The fresher E-PL9 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.
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Olympus E-PL9 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-PL9 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL9 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL9 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Revealed | 2018-02-08 | 2009-04-17 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VIII | - |
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 | 16 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
Anti alias 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 | 6400 | 1000 |
Highest boosted ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
Lowest native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW images | ||
Lowest boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Total focus points | 121 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
Largest aperture | - | f/2.8-5.9 |
Macro focusing distance | - | 5cm |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 6.3 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3" | 2.5" |
Screen resolution | 1,040 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
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 |
Maximum silent shutter speed | 1/16000 seconds | - |
Continuous shooting rate | 8.6 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 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 |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
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) |
Highest video resolution | 3840x2160 | 640x480 |
Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | Motion JPEG |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
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 | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 380g (0.84 pounds) | 132g (0.29 pounds) |
Dimensions | 117 x 68 x 39mm (4.6" x 2.7" x 1.5") | 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 photos | - |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) | SD/SDHC card, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Launch price | $599 | $580 |