Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH10

On this page, we will be looking at the Olympus E-30 versus Panasonic FH10, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and FH10 (16MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and FH10 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-30 was released 4 years prior to the FH10 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH10 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-30 grades against the FH10 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-30 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH10. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Panasonic FH10 Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-30 enjoys exterior measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") and a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Panasonic FH10 has specifications of 94mm x 54mm x 18mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-30 versus Panasonic FH10 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-30 vs the FH10.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and FH10 is 60 and 97 respectively.

Quite often, it is tough to see the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at technical specs. The graphic here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-30 and FH10.

As you have seen, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-30 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic FH10 will give extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-30 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.