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Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Tough TG-4 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus TG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 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
  • 247g - 112 x 66 x 31mm
  • Released April 2015
  • Previous Model is Olympus TG-3
  • Newer Model is Olympus TG-5
Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Raise 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-4 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus TG-4 and Panasonic FS42, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the TG-4 (16MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the TG-4 (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The TG-4 was unveiled 6 years after the FS42 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-4 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short highlight of how the TG-4 grades vs the FS42 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus TG-4 over the Panasonic FS42

 TG-4 FS42 
AnnouncedApril 2015April 2009Newer by 73 months
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus TG-4

 FS42 TG-4 

Common features in the Olympus TG-4 and Panasonic FS42

 TG-4 FS42 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen Neither has Touch screen

Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus TG-4 has exterior measurements of 112mm x 66mm x 31mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.2") along with a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS42 has measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Compare the Olympus TG-4 and Panasonic FS42 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the TG-4 and the FS42.

Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the TG-4 and FS42 is 90 and 95 respectively.

Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to visualize the gap between sensor dimensions simply by looking at specifications. The pic underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the TG-4 and FS42.

To sum up, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The TG-4 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus TG-4 will resolve extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more recent TG-4 provides a benefit in sensor innovation.

Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography highlights
47
manual focus
decent MP (16 megapixels)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW formats
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
19
lack of manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.5")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus TG-4
Street photography with Panasonic FS42
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
more heavy than competitors (247g)
47
fixed screen
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.5")
lack of RAW files
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Sports photography factors
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography factors
48
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
offers tracking autofocus
environment sealing
better than average battery power (380 per charge)
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
16
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.5")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Travel photography factors
Panasonic FS42 Travel photography factors
74
better than average battery power (380 per charge)
environment sealing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
more heavy than competitors (247g)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography info
62
manual focus
rather wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen is a decent size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
better than average battery power (380 CIPA)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not available
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
22
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5 inches)
no manual control
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
lack of RAW files
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus TG-4 Vlogging features
Panasonic FS42 Vlogging features
34
rather wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone jack
more heavy than competitors (247g)
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have mic socket
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Olympus TG-4 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus TG-4 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus Tough TG-4Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Tough TG-4 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Category Waterproof Ultracompact
Released 2015-04-13 2009-04-17
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.5"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 5.744 x 4.308mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 24.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 1000
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 25 -
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 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 6.3
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.5"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
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 rate 5.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.90 m (at ISO 1600) 6.30 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off, LED Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (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 file format H.264, Motion JPEG 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 BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 247 grams (0.54 lbs) 132 grams (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 112 x 66 x 31mm (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 380 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $379 $580