Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic FX78

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FX78, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There is a significant difference among the resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and FX78 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and FX78 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-500 was announced 6 years prior to the FX78 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-500 grades vs the FX78 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic FX78 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 comes with exterior dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Panasonic FX78 has specifications of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic FX78 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing during that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-500 against the FX78.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-500 and FX78 is 70 and 95 respectively.

Generally, it can be hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions merely by seeing a spec sheet. The pic underneath should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and FX78.

Clearly, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 with its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Panasonic FX78 will show more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.