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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Push to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Released January 2005
  • Additionally referred to as EVOLT E-300
  • Replacement is Olympus E-330
Panasonic FH8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 123g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Announced January 2012
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 Overview

The following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and FH8 (16MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and FH8 (1/2.3") provide different sensor sizes.

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The E-300 was brought out 8 years prior to the FH8 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-300 grades against the FH8 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Panasonic FH8

 E-300 FH8 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Olympus E-300

 FH8 E-300 
AnnouncedJanuary 2012January 2005Newer by 85 months
Screen dimensions3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution230k134kCrisper screen (+96k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic FH8

 E-300 FH8 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-300 comes with outside measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") and a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) and the Panasonic FH8 has proportions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-300 compared to the FH8.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-300 and FH8 is 67 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very difficult to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions purely by looking at a spec sheet. The image underneath should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-300 and FH8.

Clearly, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-300 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FH8 will resolve greater detail having its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-300 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Portrait photography camera
Panasonic FH8 as a Portrait photography camera
48
you can focus manually
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
low resolution sensor (8MP)
34
decent megapixels (16MP)
features face detection autofocus
manual focus not available
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic FH8 as a Street photography camera
51
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (123 grams)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic FH8 Sports photography highlights
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (8MP)
40
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography advice
Panasonic FH8 Travel photography advice
45
flash built-in
missing Time Lapse function
low resolution sensor (8 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
69
lighter than competitors (123 grams)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
really wide (24mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FH8 Landscape photography information
43
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
low resolution sensor (8MP)
max ISO too low (400)
missing Time Lapse function
43
really wide (24mm)
screen size is decent (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
manual mode not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FH8 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
33
really wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection autofocus
lighter than competitors (123 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.5)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FH8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic FH8
 Olympus E-300Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8
Also referred to as EVOLT E-300 -
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2005-01-10 2012-01-09
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 400 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.5-6.4
Macro focus range - 4cm
Number of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 1.8 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 134k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - MPEG-4
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 624g (1.38 lbs) 123g (0.27 lbs)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 photographs
Battery type - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $800 $149