Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic FH8

In this write-up, we will be looking at the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic FH8, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and FH8 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and FH8 (1/2.3") come with different sensor sizing.

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The E-5 was manufactured 11 months before the FH8 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-5 matches up versus the FH8 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Panasonic FH8 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 has outer dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Panasonic FH8 has dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic FH8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-5 against the FH8.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and FH8 is 58 and 96 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizing merely by looking at specifications. The visual below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and FH8.

To sum up, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-5 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FH8 will give extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older E-5 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.