Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX580

Here is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic FX580, former being a Pro DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and FX580 (12MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and FX580 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was revealed 6 years prior to the FX580 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic FX580 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-1 scores against the FX580 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Panasonic FX580 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 provides physical dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Panasonic FX580 has sizing of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic FX580 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-1 against the FX580.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and FX580 is 59 and 95 respectively.

Usually, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor sizing purely by looking through specs. The visual below might give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and FX580.

All in all, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-1 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FX580 will render extra detail because of its extra 7 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.