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Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
91
Imaging
36
Features
40
Overall
37
Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus TG-1 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 112 x 67 x 30mm
  • Introduced May 2012
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Increase to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Introduced April 2009
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Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus TG-1 iHS versus Panasonic FS42, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the TG-1 iHS (12MP) and the FS42 (10MP) is very well matched but the TG-1 iHS (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") come with different sensor measurements.

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The TG-1 iHS was manufactured 3 years later than the FS42 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus TG-1 iHS being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief summation of how the TG-1 iHS grades against the FS42 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-1 iHS over the Panasonic FS42

 TG-1 iHS FS42 
IntroducedMay 2012April 2009Fresher by 38 months
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution610k230kCrisper display (+380k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus TG-1 iHS

 FS42 TG-1 iHS 

Common features in the Olympus TG-1 iHS and Panasonic FS42

 TG-1 iHS FS42 
Focus manually Lack of manual focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus TG-1 iHS comes with outside dimensions of 112mm x 67mm x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") having a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Panasonic FS42 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Examine the Olympus TG-1 iHS versus Panasonic FS42 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the TG-1 iHS compared to the FS42.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the TG-1 iHS and FS42 is 91 and 95 respectively.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to visualize the difference between sensor sizing simply by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic here will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the TG-1 iHS and FS42.

Clearly, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The TG-1 iHS because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus TG-1 iHS will give extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more recent TG-1 iHS should have an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS Portrait photography information
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography information
27
comes with face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
19
no manual focus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS Street photography information
Panasonic FS42 Street photography information
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
fixed screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
47
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
lack of RAW format
low maximum ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Sports photography camera
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
better than average battery power (350 per charge)
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
no shutter priority
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
16
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus TG-1 iHS
Travel photography with Panasonic FS42
68
better than average battery power (350 per charge)
weather proofing
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-1 iHS as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FS42 as a Landscape photography camera
46
pretty wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
better than average battery power (350 shots)
focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse recording
22
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.5 inch)
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.5")
low maximum ISO (1,000)
lack of RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus TG-1 iHS
Vlogging with Panasonic FS42
36
pretty wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
doesn't have external microphone socket
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
sluggish max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pxls)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Olympus TG-1 iHS vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-1 iHS and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus Tough TG-1 iHSPanasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Type Waterproof Ultracompact
Introduced 2012-05-08 2009-04-17
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI -
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 area 28.1mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3968 x 2976 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 6400 1000
Maximum boosted ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 6.3
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.5"
Resolution of display 610 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range - 6.30 m
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230 gr (0.51 lbs) 132 gr (0.29 lbs)
Dimensions 112 x 67 x 30mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") 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 350 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model LI90B -
Self timer Yes (2 and 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media - SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $399 $580