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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1

Portability
56
Imaging
45
Features
56
Overall
49
Olympus E-3 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
13
Overall
26

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Announced February 2008
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-1
  • Renewed by Olympus E-5
Panasonic FP1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 151g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2010
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 Overview

On this page, we are contrasting the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FP1, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the FP1 (12MP) is very close but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and FP1 (1/2.3") provide different sensor measurements.

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The E-3 was revealed 22 months prior to the FP1 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FP1 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-3 grades against the FP1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Panasonic FP1

 E-3 FP1 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP1 over the Olympus E-3

 FP1 E-3 
RevealedJanuary 2010February 2008More recent by 22 months
Display dimensions2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FP1

 E-3 FP1 
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 provides physical measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FP1 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") along with a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FP1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is a front view size comparison of the E-3 versus the FP1.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-3 and FP1 is 56 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's tough to picture the difference in sensor measurements purely by researching technical specs. The graphic underneath will give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-3 and FP1.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-3 with its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic FP1 will render greater detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos more aggressively. The older E-3 will be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FP1 Portrait photography advice
57
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (10MP)
21
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-3
Street photography with Panasonic FP1
70
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
55
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
more heavy than competitors (151 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FP1 as a Sports photography camera
58
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather proof
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (5.0 frames/s)
low megapixels (10MP)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (6.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-3
Travel photography with Panasonic FP1
55
weather proof
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low megapixels (10MP)
50
built-in flash
missing Timelapse recording
more heavy than competitors (151 grams)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FP1 Landscape photography info
56
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inches)
low megapixels (10MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
28
image stabilization (Optical)
manual focus not available
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 Vlogging features
Panasonic FP1 Vlogging features
18
no video shooting
25
image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing microphone port
more heavy than competitors (151g)
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Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FP1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FP1
 Olympus E-3Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1
Type Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Announced 2008-02-20 2010-01-06
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CMOS 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 10MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 4.90 m (Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 890 gr (1.96 lb) 151 gr (0.33 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 571 not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $670 $153