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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Launched November 2011
  • New Model is Olympus E-PM2
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Expand 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-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Ultracompact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PM1 (12MP) and the FS42 (10MP) is fairly close but the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and FS42 (1/2.5") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PM1 was revealed 2 years later than the FS42 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-PM1 scores against the FS42 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Panasonic FS42

 E-PM1 FS42 
RevealedNovember 2011April 2009Fresher by 32 months
Focus manually Very precise focus
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus E-PM1

 FS42 E-PM1 

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FS42

 E-PM1 FS42 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch display Neither has Touch display

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PM1 has physical dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS42 has measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PM1 vs the FS42.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PM1 and FS42 is 89 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizing simply by researching specifications. The graphic underneath might give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PM1 and FS42.

Plainly, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-PM1 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PM1 will render more detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The younger E-PM1 will have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PM1
Portrait photography with Panasonic FS42
60
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12MP)
19
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Street photography factors
Panasonic FS42 Street photography factors
75
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no moving screen
47
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.5")
lack of RAW support
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Sports photography information
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography information
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (6.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
no phase detect AF
16
max frames per second low (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Travel photography camera
45
does not have Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
low resolution sensor (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography info
65
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not have Timelapse mode
22
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.5 inches)
lack of manual mode
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
lack of RAW support
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Vlogging factors
Panasonic FS42 Vlogging factors
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone socket
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Ultracompact
Launched 2011-11-23 2009-04-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.5"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 1000
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 35 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 33-132mm (4.0x)
Max aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 6.3
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.5"
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 6.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 6.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 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 format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 265 grams (0.58 pounds) 132 grams (0.29 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $499 $580