Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ30

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic LZ30, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are sold by Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and LZ30 (16MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and LZ30 (1/2.3") boast different sensor size.

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The FS42 was introduced 4 years prior to the LZ30 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic LZ30 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the FS42 matches up versus the LZ30 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ30. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic FS42 Gallery & Panasonic LZ30 Gallery.

In case you're planning to travel with your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. 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) whilst the Panasonic LZ30 has sizing of 124mm x 84mm x 92mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 3.6") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic LZ30 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the FS42 versus the LZ30.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FS42 and LZ30 is 95 and 66 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to picture the difference in sensor dimensions just by looking through technical specs. The pic below may offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS42 and LZ30.

As you have seen, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The FS42 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field harder and the Panasonic LZ30 will provide you with more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged FS42 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.