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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3

Portability
77
Imaging
44
Features
36
Overall
40
Olympus E-420 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 Key Specs

Olympus E-420
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Announced June 2008
  • Superseded the Olympus E-410
Panasonic FH3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 165g - 98 x 55 x 24mm
  • Released January 2010
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-FS11
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 Overview

Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and FH3 (14MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and FH3 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-420 was unveiled 18 months before the FH3 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a complete comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-420 scores vs the FH3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-420 over the Panasonic FH3

 E-420 FH3 
Focus manually Very accurate focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH3 over the Olympus E-420

 FH3 E-420 
ReleasedJanuary 2010June 2008More recent by 18 months

Common features in the Olympus E-420 and Panasonic FH3

 E-420 FH3 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions2.7"2.7"Equal screen dimensions
Screen resolution230k230kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you need to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-420 has got outside dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic FH3 has proportions of 98mm x 55mm x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-420 compared to the FH3.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-420 and FH3 is 77 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to picture the contrast in sensor measurements simply by viewing specifications. The graphic underneath might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-420 and FH3.

To sum up, the 2 cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-420 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FH3 will result in more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-420 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-420 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FH3 Portrait photography advice
56
manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
MP count low (10 megapixels)
28
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-420
Street photography with Panasonic FH3
64
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competitors (426 grams)
fixed screen
no image stabilization
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-420
Sports photography with Panasonic FH3
38
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
34
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14MP)
max frames per second low (6.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-420 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic FH3 Travel photography highlights
52
lighter than competitors (426 grams)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse mode
low battery life (500 CIPA)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
64
decent megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-420 Landscape photography features
Panasonic FH3 Landscape photography features
47
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
low battery life (500 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
37
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-420 Vlogging highlights
Panasonic FH3 Vlogging highlights
9
can't shoot video
29
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic port
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Olympus E-420 vs Panasonic FH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-420 and Panasonic FH3
 Olympus E-420Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-420 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-FS11
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-06-23 2010-01-06
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4320 x 3240
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.80 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lbs) 165 grams (0.36 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 98 x 55 x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 527 not tested
Other
Battery life 500 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Launch price $999 $160