Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic FZ300

Lets take a closer look at the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic FZ300, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are designed by Panasonic. The resolution of the FS42 (10MP) and the FZ300 (12MP) is pretty close but the FS42 (1/2.5") and FZ300 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

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The FS42 was announced 7 years earlier than the FZ300 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic FZ300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the FS42 matches up against the FZ300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FS42 Gallery & Panasonic FZ300 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera often, you should consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FS42 provides outside dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ300 has measurements of 132mm x 92mm x 117mm (5.2" x 3.6" x 4.6") with a weight of 691 grams (1.52 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic FZ300 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the FS42 vs the FZ300.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the FS42 and FZ300 is 95 and 59 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing merely by viewing specifications. The graphic here should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS42 and FZ300.

To sum up, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The FS42 with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Panasonic FZ300 will provide you with extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older FS42 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.