Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FP7

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP7, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FP7 (16MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FP7 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-500 was revealed 6 years before the FP7 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FP7 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short view of how the E-500 grades against the FP7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP7. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic FP7 Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera often, you have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 has got physical measurements of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") and a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic FP7 has dimensions of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") with a weight of 147 grams (0.32 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FP7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-500 and the FP7.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and FP7 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Normally, it's hard to see the difference between sensor dimensions merely by going over technical specs. The pic here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-500 and FP7.

As you have seen, both of those cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 using its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic FP7 will offer more detail because of its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.