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Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
53
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 Key Specs

Olympus SH-1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Launched March 2014
  • Later Model is Olympus SH-2
Panasonic FS15
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Bump 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 SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 Overview

Below, we are reviewing the Olympus SH-1 and Panasonic FS15, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the resolutions of the SH-1 (16MP) and FS15 (12MP) but they use the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SH-1 was brought out 5 years after the FS15 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the SH-1 matches up vs the FS15 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-1 over the Panasonic FS15

 SH-1 FS15 
LaunchedMarch 2014January 2009More modern by 64 months
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS15 over the Olympus SH-1

 FS15 SH-1 

Common features in the Olympus SH-1 and Panasonic FS15

 SH-1 FS15 
Manually focus Lack of manual focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-1 features external dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS15 has measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SH-1 and Panasonic FS15 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the SH-1 compared to the FS15.

Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SH-1 and FS15 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes just by reviewing technical specs. The pic underneath might give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-1 and FS15.

As you can tell, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Olympus SH-1 to offer extra detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The fresher SH-1 is going to have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SH-1
Portrait photography with Panasonic FS15
37
good MP (16 megapixels)
comes with face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
20
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
low MP (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-1 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Street photography camera
64
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with touch to focus
lighter than competitors (271g)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-1 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS15 as a Sports photography camera
51
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
great battery life (380 per charge)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-1 Travel photography details
Panasonic FS15 Travel photography details
74
great battery life (380 shots)
lighter than competitors (271 grams)
comes with touch to focus
good MP (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
51
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (29mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SH-1
Landscape photography with Panasonic FS15
49
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
great battery life (380 CIPA)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
27
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (29mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7")
manual exposure not available
low MP (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-1 Vlogging information
Panasonic FS15 Vlogging information
37
quite wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone socket
lighter than competitors (271g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
does not offer selfie friendly display
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (29mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
no mic socket
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Olympus SH-1 vs Panasonic FS15 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-1 and Panasonic FS15
 Olympus Stylus SH-1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Stylus SH-1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Launched 2014-03-31 2009-01-16
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 1600
Maximum boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 29-145mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus distance 3cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 12.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash settings - Auto, Auto Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 271 grams (0.60 lb) 136 grams (0.30 lb)
Dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" 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 life 380 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $349 $180