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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1

Portability
70
Imaging
42
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
13
Overall
26

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 Key Specs

Olympus E-500
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Bump to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 479g - 130 x 95 x 66mm
  • Revealed October 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-500
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-510
Panasonic FP1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 151g - 99 x 59 x 19mm
  • Released January 2010
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 Overview

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FP1, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FP1 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FP1 (1/2.3") use different sensor measurements.

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The E-500 was announced 5 years earlier than the FP1 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FP1 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-500 scores vs the FP1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic FP1

 E-500 FP1 
Manual focus More accurate focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic FP1 over the Olympus E-500

 FP1 E-500 
ReleasedJanuary 2010October 2005More modern by 51 months
Screen dimension2.7"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution230k215kSharper screen (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP1

 E-500 FP1 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 features external dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FP1 has proportions of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") along with a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic FP1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the E-500 against the FP1.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and FP1 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over technical specs. The pic below should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and FP1.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-500 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FP1 will offer extra detail with its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FP1 Portrait photography advice
49
focusing manually
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
does not have liveview
low resolution (8 megapixels)
21
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography features
Panasonic FP1 Street photography features
57
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition in class (479g)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
low maximum ISO (400)
55
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
more heavy than competition (151 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FP1 Sports photography advice
37
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports phase detect AF
does not have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (8MP)
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-500
Travel photography with Panasonic FP1
52
lighter than competition in class (479g)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low resolution (8 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
50
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than competition (151g)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography information
Panasonic FP1 Landscape photography information
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.5")
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
low resolution (8 megapixels)
low maximum ISO (400)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual exposure not available
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 Vlogging info
Panasonic FP1 Vlogging info
9
no video shooting
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not great (35mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone jack
more heavy than competition (151g)
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP1
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1
Otherwise known as EVOLT E-500 -
Type Advanced DSLR Ultracompact
Revealed 2005-10-21 2010-01-06
Body design Mid-size SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip - Venus Engine IV
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 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 400 6400
Maximum boosted ISO 1600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 35-140mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 215 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
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/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.90 m (Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video file 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 479 gr (1.06 pounds) 151 gr (0.33 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 99 x 59 x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail cost $600 $153