Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH2

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FH2, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FH2 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FH2 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was revealed 6 years prior to the FH2 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH2 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the E-500 grades against the FH2 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH2. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic FH2 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 has physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH2 has sizing of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") having a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FH2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-500 compared to the FH2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and FH2 is 70 and 96 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes merely by going over specs. The image below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and FH2.

All in all, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-500 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Panasonic FH2 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.