Panasonic FS42 has a
10.0MP 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Nikon L840 has a
16.0MP 1/2.3' (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Nikon L840's sensor provides 6MP more than Panasonic FS42's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the FS42 and L840 sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Nikon L840 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Panasonic FS42. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.