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Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
79
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34
Olympus SP-610UZ front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus SP-610UZ
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-616mm (F3.3-5.7) lens
  • 405g - 107 x 73 x 73mm
  • Released January 2011
  • Replaced the Olympus SP-600 UZ
  • New Model is Olympus SP-620 UZ
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Boost to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Introduced April 2009
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Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus SP-610UZ versus Panasonic FS42, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the SP-610UZ (14MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the SP-610UZ (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") provide different sensor sizes.

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The SP-610UZ was released 21 months later than the FS42 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SP-610UZ being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the SP-610UZ matches up vs the FS42 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-610UZ over the Panasonic FS42

 SP-610UZ FS42 
IntroducedJanuary 2011April 2009More recent by 21 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus SP-610UZ

 FS42 SP-610UZ 

Common features in the Olympus SP-610UZ and Panasonic FS42

 SP-610UZ FS42 
Manual focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lack of Touch friendly screen

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-610UZ comes with external measurements of 107mm x 73mm x 73mm (4.2" x 2.9" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 405 grams (0.89 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS42 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SP-610UZ versus Panasonic FS42 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the SP-610UZ versus the FS42.

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the SP-610UZ and FS42 is 79 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very hard to picture the difference in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The visual below will provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-610UZ and FS42.

All in all, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SP-610UZ featuring a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus SP-610UZ will show more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The more modern SP-610UZ provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-610UZ Portrait photography info
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography info
28
MP count good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
19
lack of manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-610UZ as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Street photography camera
50
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
47
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-610UZ Sports photography info
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography info
39
amazing zoom range (28-616mm 22.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
16
max fps low (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SP-610UZ as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Travel photography camera
61
MP count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
very long zoom (616mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-610UZ Landscape photography info
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography info
40
quite wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not available
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
22
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SP-610UZ
Vlogging with Panasonic FS42
26
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic port
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
doesn't have external mic jack
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Olympus SP-610UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-610UZ and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus SP-610UZPanasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus SP-610UZ Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Released 2011-01-06 2009-04-17
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.5"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 3200 1000
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-616mm (22.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.3-5.7 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 6.3
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.5 inch
Display resolution 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 6.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 640x480
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected 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 405g (0.89 pounds) 132g (0.29 pounds)
Physical dimensions 107 x 73 x 73mm (4.2" x 2.9" x 2.9") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" 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 life 340 images -
Style of battery AA -
Battery ID 4 x AA -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $299 $580