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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
14
Overall
26

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Launched January 2005
  • Also Known as EVOLT E-300
  • New Model is Olympus E-330
Panasonic FS12
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 31-124mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 129g - 97 x 55 x 22mm
  • Released April 2009
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the image resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and FS12 (12MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-300 was unveiled 5 years earlier than the FS12 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-300 grades versus the FS12 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Panasonic FS12

 E-300 FS12 
Manual focus More precise focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic FS12 over the Olympus E-300

 FS12 E-300 
ReleasedApril 2009January 2005More recent by 51 months
Screen dimensions2.7"1.8"Bigger screen (+0.9")
Screen resolution230k134kCrisper screen (+96k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic FS12

 E-300 FS12 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you will want to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-300 comes with physical dimensions of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while the Panasonic FS12 has proportions of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-300 vs the FS12.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-300 and FS12 is 67 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to see the gap between sensor measurements only by reading technical specs. The visual here might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-300 and FS12.

As you can tell, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-300 with its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FS12 will offer extra detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FS12 Portrait photography highlights
48
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
does not have liveview
low resolution sensor (8MP)
21
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-300
Street photography with Panasonic FS12
51
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
maximum ISO low (400)
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 Sports photography details
Panasonic FS12 Sports photography details
37
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
max frames per second low (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (8 megapixels)
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Travel photography camera
45
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
low resolution sensor (8 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Landscape photography camera
Panasonic FS12 as a Landscape photography camera
43
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (1.8 inches)
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (8 megapixels)
maximum ISO low (400)
does not have Time Lapse recording
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not available
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging info
Panasonic FS12 Vlogging info
9
can't shoot video
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (31mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have microphone jack
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic FS12 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic FS12
 Olympus E-300Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12
Also called as EVOLT E-300 -
Category Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Launched 2005-01-10 2009-04-17
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 400 1600
Max boosted ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 31-124mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 1.8 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 134k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 6.30 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 640x480
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 624 grams (1.38 pounds) 129 grams (0.28 pounds)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 97 x 55 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $800 $228