Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS12

Below is a detailed overview of the Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS12, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and FS12 (12MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The PEN-F was unveiled 6 years later than the FS12 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise view of how the PEN-F scores vs the FS12 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus PEN-F Gallery and Panasonic FS12 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus PEN-F offers physical dimensions of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") having a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Panasonic FS12 has measurements of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS12 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the PEN-F against the FS12.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the PEN-F and FS12 is 84 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it is difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading through technical specs. The visual here will help offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the PEN-F and FS12.

As you have seen, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The PEN-F having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus PEN-F will give you more detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop images far more aggressively. The more modern PEN-F provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.