Olympus SP-100 vs Panasonic FS42

Below is a extended analysis of the Olympus SP-100 versus Panasonic FS42, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the SP-100 (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the SP-100 (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The SP-100 was manufactured 4 years later than the FS42 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus SP-100 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the SP-100 grades against the FS42 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SP-100 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus SP-100 Gallery and Panasonic FS42 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus SP-100 has got outer measurements of 122mm x 91mm x 133mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 5.2") along with a weight of 594 grams (1.31 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SP-100 versus Panasonic FS42 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you choose at the time. The following is a front view size comparison of the SP-100 against the FS42.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the SP-100 and FS42 is 63 and 95 respectively.

Often, it is very difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading through technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-100 and FS42.

As you have seen, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SP-100 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus SP-100 will give you more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The fresher SP-100 will have an edge in sensor technology.