Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FH5

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FH5, former is a Pro DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and FH5 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and FH5 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-1 was manufactured 8 years earlier than the FH5 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a full comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-1 matches up against the FH5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Panasonic FH5 Gallery.

In case you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 comes with outer dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH5 has proportions of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FH5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the E-1 and the FH5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and FH5 is 59 and 96 respectively.

Usually, its tough to see the contrast in sensor sizes only by looking through specs. The pic below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and FH5.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-1 due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic FH5 will render more detail due to its extra 11 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images much more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.