Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic FH20

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-5 versus Panasonic FH20, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the FH20 (14MP) is very comparable but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and FH20 (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was launched 14 months after the FH20 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-5 scores against the FH20 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Panasonic FH20 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 has outside measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Panasonic FH20 has dimensions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") and a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-5 versus Panasonic FH20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-5 versus the FH20.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-5 and FH20 is 58 and 93 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions only by going through a spec sheet. The pic underneath may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-5 and FH20.

As you can see, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-5 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic FH20 will produce extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos much more aggressively. The more modern E-5 should have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.