Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic ZS35

On this page, we will be evaluating the Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic ZS35, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both offered by Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and ZS35 (16MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and ZS35 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The FS42 was introduced 5 years prior to the ZS35 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic ZS35 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a short overview of how the FS42 grades vs the ZS35 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS35. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic FS42 Gallery & Panasonic ZS35 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. 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 ZS35 has proportions of 107mm x 62mm x 32mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 305 grams (0.67 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FS42 vs Panasonic ZS35 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the FS42 against the ZS35.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FS42 and ZS35 is 95 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualise the gap in sensor sizes merely by going through technical specs. The pic here may give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS42 and ZS35.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The FS42 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic ZS35 will provide more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged FS42 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.