Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic FH6

Here, we are analyzing the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic FH6, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the FH6 (14MP) is very close but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and FH6 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor size.

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The E-5 was launched 11 months earlier than the FH6 and they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH6 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-5 matches up versus the FH6 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Panasonic FH6 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-5 provides physical dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Panasonic FH6 has measurements of 96mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs).

See the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic FH6 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-5 versus the FH6.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and FH6 is 58 and 96 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to see the difference in sensor measurements only by looking through technical specs. The visual below might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and FH6.

As you have seen, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-5 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FH6 will provide you with more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images way more aggressively. The older E-5 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.