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Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
78
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus SP-620 UZ front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus SP-620 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-525mm (F3.1-5.8) lens
  • 435g - 110 x 74 x 74mm
  • Launched January 2012
  • Succeeded the Olympus SP-610UZ
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Expand to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Announced April 2009
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Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the SP-620 UZ (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the SP-620 UZ (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") feature different sensor measurements.

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The SP-620 UZ was revealed 2 years later than the FS42 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SP-620 UZ being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick overview of how the SP-620 UZ scores vs the FS42 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-620 UZ over the Panasonic FS42

 SP-620 UZ FS42 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012April 2009More recent by 34 months
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus SP-620 UZ

 FS42 SP-620 UZ 

Common features in the Olympus SP-620 UZ and Panasonic FS42

 SP-620 UZ FS42 
Manually focus No manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SP-620 UZ has got physical measurements of 110mm x 74mm x 74mm (4.3" x 2.9" x 2.9") having a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) while the Panasonic FS42 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check the Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the SP-620 UZ compared to the FS42.

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the SP-620 UZ and FS42 is 78 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's tough to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading a spec sheet. The photograph here will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SP-620 UZ and FS42.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SP-620 UZ using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SP-620 UZ will offer more detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The newer SP-620 UZ provides a benefit in sensor tech.

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Portrait photography camera
34
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
includes face detection focus
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
19
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.5")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ Street photography features
Panasonic FS42 Street photography features
50
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
47
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.5")
lack of RAW format
max ISO too low (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ Sports photography advice
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography advice
48
great zoom range (25-525mm 21.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
16
max fps low (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.5")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SP-620 UZ
Travel photography with Panasonic FS42
61
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (525mm)
no Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
51
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SP-620 UZ Landscape photography highlights
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography highlights
41
pretty wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
no manual control
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Time Lapse function
22
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
megapixel count low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.5")
max ISO too low (1,000)
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus SP-620 UZ
Vlogging with Panasonic FS42
28
pretty wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focus
sluggish max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no external mic socket
22
wide angle not good (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have mic port
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Olympus SP-620 UZ vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-620 UZ and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus SP-620 UZPanasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus SP-620 UZ Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Launched 2012-01-10 2009-04-17
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor 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 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 3200 1000
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-525mm (21.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.1-5.8 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus distance 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 6.3
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.5"
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1500 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.00 m 6.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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 MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 435g (0.96 pounds) 132g (0.29 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 74 x 74mm (4.3" x 2.9" x 2.9") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model 4 x AA -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $199 $580