Olympus E-330 vs Panasonic FX78

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-330 and Panasonic FX78, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-330 (7MP) and FX78 (12MP) and the E-330 (Four Thirds) and FX78 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-330 was released 5 years prior to the FX78 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-330 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the E-330 matches up vs the FX78 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-330 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-330 Gallery and Panasonic FX78 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera, you will have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-330 has exterior dimensions of 140mm x 87mm x 72mm (5.5" x 3.4" x 2.8") and a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FX78 has sizing of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

See the Olympus E-330 and Panasonic FX78 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using during that time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-330 against the FX78.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-330 and FX78 is 65 and 95 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizing just by researching specifications. The visual underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-330 and FX78.

Plainly, the two cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-330 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic FX78 will render more detail as a result of its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The older E-330 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.