Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FH5

Below, we are matching up the Olympus E-3 versus Panasonic FH5, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and FH5 (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and FH5 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was launched 3 years before the FH5 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-3 scores against the FH5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Panasonic FH5 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera often, you should consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 has got outer measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Panasonic FH5 has specifications of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") having a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-3 versus Panasonic FH5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the E-3 vs the FH5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and FH5 is 56 and 96 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to see the contrast in sensor sizes only by researching technical specs. The picture here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and FH5.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-3 featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic FH5 will provide you with greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-3 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.