Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic FP7

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic FP7, one being a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and FP7 (16MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and FP7 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was released within a month of the FP7 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FP7 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going in to a detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-5 matches up against the FP7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Panasonic FP7 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-5 provides outer dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Panasonic FP7 has specifications of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 147 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic FP7 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-5 against the FP7.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and FP7 is 58 and 95 respectively.

In many cases, it can be hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing simply by looking through technical specs. The visual below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and FP7.

As you can tell, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-5 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic FP7 will result in more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a little more aggressively.