Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic FX90

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FX90, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-3 (10MP) and the FX90 (12MP) is relatively similar but the E-3 (Four Thirds) and FX90 (1/2.3") possess different sensor measurements.

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The E-3 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the FX90 which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FX90 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the E-3 scores against the FX90 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery and Panasonic FX90 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-3 has got outer measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) while the Panasonic FX90 has proportions of 102mm x 56mm x 22mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-3 and Panasonic FX90 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-3 versus the FX90.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and FX90 is 56 and 95 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizes merely by going over technical specs. The pic here might give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and FX90.

As you can tell, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FX90 will deliver greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.