Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic SZ1

Below is a thorough comparison of the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic SZ1, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are designed by Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and SZ1 (16MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and SZ1 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The FS42 was manufactured 3 years before the SZ1 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic SZ1 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the FS42 scores versus the SZ1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FS42 Gallery & Panasonic SZ1 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic FS42 has exterior measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ1 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 131 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FS42 and Panasonic SZ1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is the front view size comparison of the FS42 compared to the SZ1.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the FS42 and SZ1 is 95 and 95 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading a spec sheet. The photograph below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the FS42 and SZ1.

Clearly, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FS42 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Panasonic SZ1 will deliver more detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images much more aggressively. The older FS42 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.