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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15

Portability
84
Imaging
59
Features
79
Overall
67
Olympus PEN-F front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 Key Specs

Olympus PEN-F
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 427g - 125 x 72 x 37mm
  • Revealed January 2016
Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Push to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Launched January 2009
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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus PEN-F over the Panasonic FS15

 PEN-F FS15 
LaunchedJanuary 2016January 2009More modern by 86 months
Focus manually More exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Olympus PEN-F

 FS15 PEN-F 

Common features in the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic FS15

 PEN-F FS15 

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 size comparison

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

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Portrait photography factors
Panasonic FS15 Portrait photography factors
75
you can focus manually
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
20
manual focus not available
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus PEN-F
Street photography with Panasonic FS15
84
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
has focus by touch
very good ISO range (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus PEN-F
Sports photography with Panasonic FS15
67
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
terrible battery power (330 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Travel photography information
Panasonic FS15 Travel photography information
75
has focus by touch
MP count good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery power (330 shots)
51
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Landscape photography info
Panasonic FS15 Landscape photography info
76
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
terrible battery power (330 CIPA)
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual mode
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus PEN-F Vlogging information
Panasonic FS15 Vlogging information
78
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
missing external mic port
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
low res video (640 x 480 resolution)
does not have external mic support
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Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic FS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic FS15
 Olympus PEN-FPanasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN-F Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
Category Advanced Mirrorless Ultracompact
Revealed 2016-01-27 2009-01-16
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Highest resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 1600
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 29-145mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.62x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Maximum silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash -
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain) Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic 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 427g (0.94 pounds) 136g (0.30 pounds)
Dimensions 125 x 72 x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 74 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 894 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 seconds, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $1,000 $180