Clicky

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100

Portability
95
Imaging
33
Features
10
Overall
23
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 Key Specs

Panasonic FS42
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.5" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1000 (Raise to 6400)
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 33-132mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 132g - 98 x 55 x 22mm
  • Announced April 2009
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Introduced August 2012
  • New Model is Sony RX100 II
Photography Glossary

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 Overview

Below is a thorough review of the Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and RX100 (1") use totally different sensor sizing.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The FS42 was unveiled 4 years before the RX100 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FS42 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the FS42 grades vs the RX100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS42 over the Sony RX100

 FS42 RX100 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Panasonic FS42

 RX100 FS42 
IntroducedAugust 2012April 2009More recent by 40 months
Focus manually More accurate focus
Display dimension3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic FS42 and Sony RX100

 FS42 RX100 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FS42 enjoys exterior measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 132 grams (0.29 lbs) while the Sony RX100 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the FS42 compared to the RX100.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the FS42 and RX100 is 95 and 91 respectively.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements purely by looking through technical specs. The photograph underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the FS42 and RX100.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FS42 using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony RX100 will provide you with greater detail having an extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older FS42 will be behind in sensor technology.

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 Portrait photography advice
19
manual focus not available
no manual control
no external flash support
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW files
64
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000 seconds)
decent MP (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW files
cannot use external flash
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Street photography highlights
Sony RX100 Street photography highlights
47
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have RAW files
maximum ISO low (1,000)
79
image stabilization (Optical)
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW files
lighter than average in class (240 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Sports photography info
Sony RX100 Sports photography info
16
max frames per second very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
65
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
good sensor size (1")
comes with tracking focus
has no phase detect auto focus
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Panasonic FS42 Travel photography highlights
Sony RX100 Travel photography highlights
51
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
79
lighter than average in class (240 grams)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Landscape photography camera
22
manual focus not available
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.5")
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.5")
maximum ISO low (1,000)
doesn't have RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse mode
74
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
great ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic FS42 as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 as a Vlogging camera
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
low res video (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone jack
38
reasonably wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than average in class (240 grams)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
lack of microphone support
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Panasonic FS42 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic FS42 and Sony RX100
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Type Ultracompact Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-04-17 2012-08-28
Physical type Ultracompact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.5" 1"
Sensor measurements 5.744 x 4.308mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 24.7mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 1000 25600
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 -
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 33-132mm (4.0x) 28-100mm (3.6x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.9 f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus distance 5cm 5cm
Crop factor 6.3 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.30 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/2000s
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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 132 gr (0.29 lbs) 240 gr (0.53 lbs)
Dimensions 98 x 55 x 22mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 390
Other
Battery life - 330 photographs
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $580 $448