Olympus E-3 vs Olympus FE-5010

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus FE-5010, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the FE-5010 (12MP) is relatively similar but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and FE-5010 (1/2.3") have different sensor measurements.

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The E-3 was unveiled 10 months earlier than the FE-5010 so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus FE-5010 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-3 grades versus the FE-5010 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 & Olympus FE-5010. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus FE-5010 Gallery.

If you're intending to carry your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 has outside measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Olympus FE-5010 has dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 130 grams (0.29 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-3 versus Olympus FE-5010 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-3 against the FE-5010.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and FE-5010 is 56 and 96 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing purely by reviewing specifications. The graphic here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and FE-5010.

To sum up, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-3 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus FE-5010 will offer more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.