Olympus E-30 vs Panasonic FH20

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus E-30 versus Panasonic FH20, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the FH20 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and FH20 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-30 was introduced 9 months prior to the FH20 so they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-30 matches up against the FH20 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-30 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Panasonic FH20 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-30 has outside measurements of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") with a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) and the Panasonic FH20 has proportions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

See the Olympus E-30 versus Panasonic FH20 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-30 and the FH20.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-30 and FH20 is 60 and 93 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to picture the difference in sensor sizing just by checking out specs. The photograph below might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-30 and FH20.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-30 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic FH20 will provide more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-30 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.