Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FH3, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FH3 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FH3 (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-500 was launched 5 years before the FH3 and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving in to a full comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-500 grades versus the FH3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic FH3 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera often, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-500 features outer measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Panasonic FH3 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FH3 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 against the FH3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and FH3 is 70 and 94 respectively.

Quite often, it's tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reading technical specs. The graphic below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and FH3.

As you can tell, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-500 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic FH3 will offer you greater detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.