Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FP5

Following is a extended review of the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic FP5, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-400 (10MP) and FP5 (14MP) and the E-400 (Four Thirds) and FP5 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The E-400 was released 5 years earlier than the FP5 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-400 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go in to a complete comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-400 scores versus the FP5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-400 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-400 Gallery & Panasonic FP5 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-400 provides exterior measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") along with a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) while the Panasonic FP5 has proportions of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic FP5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the E-400 compared to the FP5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-400 and FP5 is 77 and 95 respectively.

Sometimes, its tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes just by seeing technical specs. The picture below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-400 and FP5.

As you have seen, both cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-400 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FP5 will produce more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-400 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.