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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Launched August 2012
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
  • Revealed April 2009
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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 Overview

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus VH-515 versus Panasonic FS42, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the VH-515 (12MP) and the FS42 (10MP) is relatively close but the VH-515 (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") boast different sensor measurements.

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The VH-515 was unveiled 3 years after the FS42 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick synopsis of how the VH-515 grades against the FS42 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Panasonic FS42

 VH-515 FS42 
RevealedAugust 2012April 2009Newer by 41 months
Screen size3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Olympus VH-515

 FS42 VH-515 

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic FS42

 VH-515 FS42 
Manual focus Lack of manual focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus VH-515 has got exterior measurements of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") and a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Panasonic FS42 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus VH-515 versus Panasonic FS42 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use during that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the VH-515 and the FS42.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the VH-515 and FS42 is 95 and 95 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to imagine the difference in sensor dimensions simply by looking through a spec sheet. The image here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the VH-515 and FS42.

As you can see, both cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The VH-515 having a bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus VH-515 will render greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more modern VH-515 provides an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography factors
27
provides face detection focus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
19
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
external flash not possible
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography features
Panasonic FS42 Street photography features
62
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
boasts focus by touch
no articulating screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
47
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW support
low max ISO (1,000)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic FS42 Sports photography highlights
32
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides tracking autofocus
max frames per second very slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
16
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus VH-515
Travel photography with Panasonic FS42
62
boasts focus by touch
has built in flash
really wide (26mm)
no Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
51
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography details
Panasonic FS42 Landscape photography details
37
really wide (26mm)
screen size is decent (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lack of manual focus
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
low megapixels (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
no Time Lapse function
22
lack of manual focus
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.5 inch)
manual mode not possible
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.5")
low max ISO (1,000)
doesn't have RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Vlogging features
Panasonic FS42 Vlogging features
35
really wide (26mm)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
no external mic support
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low res video (640 x 480 resolution)
no mic support
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Olympus VH-515 vs Panasonic FS42 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Panasonic FS42
 Olympus VH-515Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus VH-515 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42
Type Small Sensor Compact Ultracompact
Launched 2012-08-21 2009-04-17
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III+ -
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 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 1600 1000
Max boosted ISO - 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 26-130mm (5.0x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 6.3
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 60 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.70 m 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 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)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic 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 None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 152 gr (0.34 lbs) 132 gr (0.29 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID LI-50B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $648 $580