Panasonic FS42 vs Sony W570

Its time to look a little more closely at the Panasonic FS42 and Sony W570, both Ultracompact digital cameras by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the FS42 (10MP) and W570 (16MP) and the FS42 (1/2.5") and W570 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The FS42 was brought out 20 months prior to the W570 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Ultracompact).

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the FS42 scores vs the W570 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS42 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570. The entire galleries are available at Panasonic FS42 Gallery & Sony W570 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic FS42 offers external 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 Sony W570 has sizing of 91mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 116 grams (0.26 lbs).

Look at the Panasonic FS42 and Sony W570 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at that moment. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the FS42 against the W570.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the FS42 and W570 is 95 and 96 respectively.

Generally, it's tough to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through specifications. The photograph below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the FS42 and W570.

To sum up, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FS42 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF harder and the Sony W570 will resolve extra detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The older FS42 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.