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Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Announced March 2015
  • Replaced the Olympus SH-1
  • New Model is Olympus SH-3
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
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Ultracompact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SH-2 was manufactured 5 years later than the FS42 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a short summation of how the SH-2 matches up versus the FS42 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Panasonic FS42

 SH-2 FS42 
IntroducedMarch 2015April 2009More recent by 72 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus SH-2

 FS42 SH-2 

Common features in the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic FS42

 SH-2 FS42 
Focus manually Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SH-2 provides outer measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check the Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the SH-2 against the FS42.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SH-2 and FS42 is 88 and 95 respectively.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements just by going over a spec sheet. The photograph here might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SH-2 and FS42.

Clearly, both cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SH-2 due to its bigger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus SH-2 will offer greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures way more aggressively. The more recent SH-2 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography factors
44
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
provides face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
lack of manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
19
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
can't use external flash
MP count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.5")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Street photography info
Panasonic FS42 Street photography info
70
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch focus
lighter than competition (271 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
47
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.5")
no RAW format
max ISO too low (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Sports photography info
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography info
51
incredible zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
good battery life (380 shots)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
16
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.5")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FS42 Travel photography advice
74
good battery life (380 per charge)
lighter than competition (271 grams)
includes touch focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
great reach (600mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
51
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse function
MP count low (10MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography information
55
pretty wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (380 shots)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
22
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5")
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.5")
max ISO too low (1,000)
no RAW format
does not have Timelapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Vlogging advice
Panasonic FS42 Vlogging advice
35
pretty wide (25mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (271 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
missing microphone support
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
does not have external microphone socket
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Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus Stylus SH-2Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus Stylus SH-2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Ultracompact
Announced 2015-03-11 2009-04-17
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.5"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 1000
Max enhanced ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 125 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range 3cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 6.3
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 11.5 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 6.30 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone 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
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271g (0.60 lb) 132g (0.29 lb)
Physical dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 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 380 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $399 $580