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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
31
Overall
33

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Introduced November 2003
  • Successor is Olympus E-3
Panasonic FX78
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 100 x 55 x 21mm
  • Announced January 2011
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FX77
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 Overview

In this article, we are looking at the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic FX78, former being a Pro DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and FX78 (12MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and FX78 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-1 was announced 8 years before the FX78 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-1 scores against the FX78 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Panasonic FX78

 E-1 FX78 
Focus manually Dial exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX78 over the Olympus E-1

 FX78 E-1 
AnnouncedJanuary 2011November 2003Fresher by 87 months
Display sizing3.5"1.8"Larger display (+1.7")
Display resolution230k134kClearer display (+96k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic FX78

 E-1 FX78 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 enjoys outside dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") and a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Panasonic FX78 has sizing of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-1 and Panasonic FX78 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-1 vs the FX78.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and FX78 is 59 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is tough to picture the gap in sensor sizing only by checking out specs. The photograph underneath will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and FX78.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-1 using its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FX78 will produce more detail with its extra 7MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos far more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic FX78 Portrait photography factors
46
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
sensor resolution low (5MP)
21
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FX78 as a Street photography camera
57
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
lighter than others in class (735g)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
57
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FX78 Sports photography advice
40
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
max frames per second very slow (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (5 megapixels)
28
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with tracking focus
max shutter speed is low (1/1,400s)
continuous shooting slow (4.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
low battery power (200 CIPA)
no phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography features
Panasonic FX78 Travel photography features
47
lighter than others in class (735g)
weather proofing
does not have Time Lapse function
sensor resolution low (5MP)
display is not selfie friendly
56
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
low battery power (200 shots)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic FX78 Landscape photography factors
46
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
screen is small (1.8 inches)
does not have liveview
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (5 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse function
36
pretty wide (24mm)
big screen (3.5 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
manual exposure not available
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW files
low battery power (200 per charge)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging info
Panasonic FX78 Vlogging info
9
no video
33
pretty wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
doesn't have microphone jack
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Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic FX78 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Panasonic FX78
 Olympus E-1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78
Also called as - Lumix DMC-FX77
Class Pro DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2003-11-29 2011-01-25
Body design Large SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 2560 x 1920 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.5-5.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 1.8 inches 3.5 inches
Screen resolution 134k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1400s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735 gr (1.62 lbs) 142 gr (0.31 lbs)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 100 x 55 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 200 shots
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at launch $1,700 $210