Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP1

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.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic FP1 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.