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Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40

Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40 front
Portability
67
Imaging
45
Features
35
Overall
41

Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 Key Specs

Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Boost to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Launched April 2009
Panasonic LZ40
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 22-924mm (F3.0-6.5) lens
  • 524g - 126 x 87 x 94mm
  • Revealed January 2014
  • Earlier Model is Panasonic LZ30
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Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic LZ40, former being a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both created by Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and LZ40 (20MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and LZ40 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FS42 was manufactured 5 years before the LZ40 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic LZ40 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a simple overview of how the FS42 grades versus the LZ40 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Panasonic LZ40

 FS42 LZ40 

Reasons to pick Panasonic LZ40 over the Panasonic FS42

 LZ40 FS42 
RevealedJanuary 2014April 2009More recent by 57 months
Screen sizing3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic LZ40

 FS42 LZ40 
Manual focus Lack of manual focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FS42 features outer measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Panasonic LZ40 has dimensions of 126mm x 87mm x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7") along with a weight of 524 grams (1.16 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic LZ40 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the FS42 vs the LZ40.

Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FS42 and LZ40 is 95 and 67 respectively.

Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading technical specs. The visual here may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the FS42 and LZ40.

As you can tell, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FS42 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Panasonic LZ40 will offer greater detail due to its extra 10 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots far more aggressively. The older FS42 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic LZ40 Portrait photography advice
19
no manual focus
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
40
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
supports face detect focus
lack of manual focus
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Street photography highlights
Panasonic LZ40 Street photography highlights
47
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW format
low maximum ISO (1,000)
45
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
heavier than competitors in class (524 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Panasonic FS42
Sports photography with Panasonic LZ40
16
max fps very slow (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
47
excellent zoom range (22-924mm 42.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Travel photography features
Panasonic LZ40 Travel photography features
51
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
55
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (22mm)
long reach (924mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
heavier than competitors in class (524g)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic LZ40 as a Landscape photography camera
22
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.5")
no manual mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.5")
low maximum ISO (1,000)
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Time Lapse mode
44
really wide (22mm)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Panasonic FS42
Vlogging with Panasonic LZ40
22
wide angle not fantastic (33mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external mic socket
27
really wide (22mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
has mic port
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
heavier than competitors in class (524g)
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Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic LZ40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic LZ40
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40
General Information
Company Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ40
Type Ultracompact Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2009-04-17 2014-01-06
Body design Ultracompact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.5" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 5.744 x 4.308mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 24.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 5152 x 3864
Maximum native ISO 1000 1600
Maximum enhanced ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 33-132mm (4.0x) 22-924mm (42.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/3.0-6.5
Macro focusing distance 5cm 1cm
Crop factor 6.3 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 15s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter speed 2.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.30 m 10.80 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 132 grams (0.29 lb) 524 grams (1.16 lb)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") 126 x 87 x 94mm (5.0" x 3.4" x 3.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 life - 320 images
Battery form - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $580 $219