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Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
37
Overall
37
Olympus TG-810 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus TG-810
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.9-5.9) lens
  • 215g - 100 x 65 x 26mm
  • Released August 2011
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Boost 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 TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Below, we are reviewing the Olympus TG-810 and Panasonic FS42, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the TG-810 (14MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the TG-810 (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") possess totally different sensor sizing.

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The TG-810 was released 2 years later than the FS42 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus TG-810 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the TG-810 scores vs the FS42 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-810 over the Panasonic FS42

 TG-810 FS42 
AnnouncedAugust 2011April 2009Fresher by 29 months
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus TG-810

 FS42 TG-810 

Common features in the Olympus TG-810 and Panasonic FS42

 TG-810 FS42 
Manual focus No manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus TG-810 enjoys external measurements of 100mm x 65mm x 26mm (3.9" x 2.6" x 1.0") with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-810 and Panasonic FS42 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the TG-810 vs the FS42.

Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the TG-810 and FS42 is 92 and 95 respectively.

Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The graphic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-810 and FS42.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TG-810 featuring a larger sensor will make shooting shallower DOF easier and the Olympus TG-810 will deliver greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The newer TG-810 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-810 Portrait photography info
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography info
33
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
provides face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
19
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-810
Street photography with Panasonic FS42
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
47
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
no RAW format
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-810 Sports photography info
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography info
40
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery (220 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
16
low fps (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-810 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic FS42 Travel photography highlights
64
environment sealing
decent megapixels (14MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low battery (220 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
51
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-810 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography factors
43
pretty wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
environment sealing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
low battery (220 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
22
lack of manual focus
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no manual control
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
no RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-810
Vlogging with Panasonic FS42
30
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detect autofocus
slow maximum aperture (f3.9)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have mic support
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video resolution low (640 x 480 pxls)
doesn't have external microphone support
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Olympus TG-810 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-810 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus TG-810Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus TG-810 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Waterproof Ultracompact
Released 2011-08-16 2009-04-17
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III+ -
Sensor type CCD 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 14MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4288 x 3216 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 1600 1000
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.9-5.9 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range 3cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 6.3
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 2.5 inches
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT Hypercrystal III Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 1.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.20 m 6.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
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 data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 215g (0.47 lb) 132g (0.29 lb)
Dimensions 100 x 65 x 26mm (3.9" x 2.6" x 1.0") 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 life 220 photographs -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Price at launch $428 $580