Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP5

On this page, we are analyzing the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP5, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FP5 (14MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FP5 (1/2.3") boast different sensor size.

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The E-500 was introduced 6 years earlier than the FP5 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-500 grades against the FP5 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic FP5 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-500 has outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Panasonic FP5 has proportions of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP5 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-500 vs the FP5.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and FP5 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading specs. The image below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and FP5.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-500 having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic FP5 will deliver greater detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.