Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FS42
96 Imaging
37 Features
26 Overall
32
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95 Imaging
33 Features
10 Overall
23
Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 1600
- 1280 x 720 video
- 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
- 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
- Launched January 2012
(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
- Introduced April 2009
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Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview
Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic FS42, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the VG-160 (14MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the VG-160 (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") possess totally different sensor sizes.
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The VG-160 was released 2 years later than the FS42 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.
Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the VG-160 matches up vs the FS42 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FS42 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Panasonic FS42 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Panasonic FS42
VG-160 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | January 2012 | ![]() | April 2009 | More recent by 34 months |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") |
Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus VG-160
FS42 | VG-160 |
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Common features in the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic FS42
VG-160 | FS42 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Lack of manual focusing | ||
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Display resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Exact same display resolution |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither contains selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither contains Touch friendly display |
Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison
For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus VG-160 has got outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) and 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).
Examine the Olympus VG-160 and Panasonic FS42 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are using at that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the VG-160 against the FS42.
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Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VG-160 and FS42 is 96 and 95 respectively.
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Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is very hard to envision the difference between sensor measurements merely by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the VG-160 and FS42.
As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The VG-160 because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus VG-160 will deliver extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics far more aggressively. The newer VG-160 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor technology.
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Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus VG-160 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications
Olympus VG-160 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus VG-160 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 |
Category | Small Sensor Compact | Ultracompact |
Launched | 2012-01-10 | 2009-04-17 |
Physical type | Compact | Ultracompact |
Sensor Information | ||
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 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 3648 x 2736 |
Highest native ISO | 1600 | 1000 |
Highest enhanced ISO | - | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Autofocus continuous | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Multi area autofocus | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection focus | ||
Contract detection focus | ||
Phase detection focus | ||
Cross focus points | - | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | 26-130mm (5.0x) | 33-132mm (4.0x) |
Largest aperture | f/2.8-6.5 | f/2.8-5.9 |
Macro focus range | 7cm | 5cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 6.3 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3" | 2.5" |
Resolution of screen | 230k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Screen tech | TFT Color LCD | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | None |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4s | 60s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shutter rate | - | 2.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 4.80 m | 6.30 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | 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 | 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) | 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 640x480 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Microphone support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 125 gr (0.28 lbs) | 132 gr (0.29 lbs) |
Dimensions | 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") | 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall 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 | 165 photos | - |
Battery style | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | LI-70B | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC | SD/SDHC card, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Pricing at release | $90 | $580 |