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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48

Portability
70
Imaging
41
Features
34
Overall
38
Olympus E-500 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48 front
Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
21
Overall
28

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 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
  • Additionally Known as EVOLT E-500
  • Replacement is Olympus E-510
Panasonic FX48
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 150g - 95 x 53 x 22mm
  • Introduced January 2009
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-FX40
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 Overview

The following is a extensive overview of the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FX48, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FX48 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FX48 (1/2.3") use different sensor measurements.

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The E-500 was launched 4 years before the FX48 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FX48 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-500 scores versus the FX48 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-500 over the Panasonic FX48

 E-500 FX48 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX48 over the Olympus E-500

 FX48 E-500 
IntroducedJanuary 2009October 2005Newer by 39 months
Screen resolution230k215kCrisper screen (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FX48

 E-500 FX48 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing2.5"2.5"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 has got outer dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FX48 has specifications of 95mm x 53mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.9") and a weight of 150 grams (0.33 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FX48 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that moment. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the E-500 against the FX48.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and FX48 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is tough to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by checking specifications. The image below will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and FX48.

To sum up, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic FX48 will give you greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The more aged E-500 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-500 Portrait photography information
Panasonic FX48 Portrait photography information
48
focusing manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
27
supports face detection focusing
no manual focus
external flash not possible
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-500 Street photography highlights
Panasonic FX48 Street photography highlights
56
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (479 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FX48 as a Sports photography camera
37
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
MP count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FX48 as a Travel photography camera
52
lighter than competition (479g)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse function
low megapixels (8MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
58
built-in flash
reasonably wide (25mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
MP count low (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-500 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FX48 Landscape photography advice
43
focusing manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.5")
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
max ISO too low (400)
lack of Time Lapse function
33
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is small (2.5 inch)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-500 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FX48 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
30
reasonably wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detection focusing
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of external mic support
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Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX48 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FX48
 Olympus E-500Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-500 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX48
Also called EVOLT E-500 Lumix DMC-FX40
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2005-10-21 2009-01-27
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3264 x 2448 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 400 3200
Max boosted ISO 1600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-125mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 2.5 inch 2.5 inch
Resolution of screen 215 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.45x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/3000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m
Flash settings Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 640x480
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 479 grams (1.06 pounds) 150 grams (0.33 pounds)
Dimensions 130 x 95 x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") 95 x 53 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.1" 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 recording
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $600 $325