Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic FP7

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic FP7, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-400 (10MP) and FP7 (16MP) and the E-400 (Four Thirds) and FP7 (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The E-400 was manufactured 5 years prior to the FP7 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-400 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FP7 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-400 grades vs the FP7 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-400 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-400 Gallery and Panasonic FP7 Gallery.

For those who are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-400 has outside dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FP7 has measurements of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 147 grams (0.32 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic FP7 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-400 vs the FP7.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-400 and FP7 is 77 and 95 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions only by checking out specs. The image below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-400 and FP7.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-400 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FP7 will show more detail due to its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-400 will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.