Olympus VR-320 vs Panasonic FS42

Below is a complete analysis of the Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic FS42, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Ultracompact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the VR-320 (14MP) and FS42 (10MP) and the VR-320 (1/2.3") and FS42 (1/2.5") posses different sensor measurements.

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The VR-320 was manufactured 2 years later than the FS42 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus VR-320 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the VR-320 matches up vs the FS42 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus VR-320 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus VR-320 Gallery and Panasonic FS42 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus VR-320 comes with physical dimensions of 101mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 158 grams (0.35 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 VR-320 and Panasonic FS42 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the VR-320 and the FS42.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the VR-320 and FS42 is 94 and 95 respectively.

Usually, it is tough to imagine the gap between sensor measurements simply by reading through a spec sheet. The visual underneath might provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the VR-320 and FS42.

As you can see, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The VR-320 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus VR-320 will resolve greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots way more aggressively. The younger VR-320 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.