Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15

Its time to look closer at the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic FS15, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and FS15 (12MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and FS15 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The PEN-F was brought out 7 years after the FS15 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the PEN-F scores vs the FS15 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus PEN-F Gallery and Panasonic FS15 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus PEN-F provides exterior measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") along with a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS15 has sizing of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Check out the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic FS15 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you select during that time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the PEN-F vs the FS15.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the PEN-F and FS15 is 84 and 95 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading through specs. The pic below may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and FS15.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The PEN-F due to its bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus PEN-F will give extra detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots much more aggressively. The fresher PEN-F is going to have an edge in sensor technology.