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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43
Olympus SH-50 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 Key Specs

Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Announced January 2013
Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 29-145mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 136g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Released January 2009
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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 Overview

Below, we are comparing the Olympus SH-50 versus Panasonic FS15, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the SH-50 (16MP) and FS15 (12MP) but they come with the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SH-50 was introduced 4 years after the FS15 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the SH-50 grades vs the FS15 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Panasonic FS15

 SH-50 FS15 
ReleasedJanuary 2013January 2009Newer by 49 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Olympus SH-50

 FS15 SH-50 

Common features in the Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic FS15

 SH-50 FS15 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera often, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-50 comes with exterior dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Panasonic FS15 has dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-50 versus Panasonic FS15 in the latest 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 have chosen at that moment. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the SH-50 vs the FS15.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-50 and FS15 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its tough to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions purely by reading through specs. The image underneath should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-50 and FS15.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You should expect to see the Olympus SH-50 to give you more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The newer SH-50 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Portrait photography camera
44
focusing manually
MP count good (16MP)
features face detect focus
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
20
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Street photography details
Panasonic FS15 Street photography details
64
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with touch focus
lighter than competition in class (269 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Sports photography camera
48
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SH-50
Travel photography with Panasonic FS15
69
lighter than competition in class (269g)
comes with touch focus
MP count good (16MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
long reach (600mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse recording
MP count low (12MP)
does not have selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-50 Landscape photography details
Panasonic FS15 Landscape photography details
49
focusing manually
fairly wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
27
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-50 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Vlogging camera
34
fairly wide (25mm)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (269g)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have mic support
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (29mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not have selfie friendly display
low video resolution (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone jack
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Olympus SH-50 vs Panasonic FS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-50 and Panasonic FS15
 Olympus SH-50Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SH-50 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Announced 2013-01-08 2009-01-16
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 6400 1600
Max enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 125 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 11
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 29-145mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focusing range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 15 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 12.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 269g (0.59 lb) 136g (0.30 lb)
Dimensions 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 ID SLB-10A -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Pricing at release $300 $180