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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3 front
Portability
94
Imaging
36
Features
21
Overall
30

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Increase to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Announced October 2005
  • Alternative Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-510
Panasonic FH3
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 165g - 98 x 55 x 24mm
  • Revealed January 2010
  • Other Name is Lumix DMC-FS11
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic FH3

 E-500 FH3 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH3 over the Olympus E-500

 FH3 E-500 
RevealedJanuary 2010October 2005Fresher by 51 months
Display sizing2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution230k215kCrisper display (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FH3

 E-500 FH3 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch display Neither includes Touch display

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 size comparison

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

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-500
Portrait photography with Panasonic FH3
48
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
does not have liveview
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
28
decent megapixels (14MP)
manual focus not available
no manual control
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography highlights
Panasonic FH3 Street photography highlights
56
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than average (479 grams)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
56
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography details
Panasonic FH3 Sports photography details
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
34
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
slow fps (6.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FH3 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than average (479 grams)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (8 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
64
decent megapixels (14MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography info
Panasonic FH3 Landscape photography info
43
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (8MP)
low maximum ISO (400)
missing Time Lapse recording
37
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7")
no manual control
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging details
Panasonic FH3 Vlogging details
9
lack of video recording
29
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have microphone jack
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FH3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FH3
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-FS11
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2005-10-21 2010-01-06
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4320 x 3240
Max native ISO 400 6400
Max boosted ISO 1600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 215 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.80 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 gr (1.06 lbs) 165 gr (0.36 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 98 x 55 x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $600 $160