Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic FH27

In this article, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-510 and Panasonic FH27, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and FH27 (16MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and FH27 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-510 was unveiled 4 years before the FH27 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FH27 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-510 matches up versus the FH27 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-510 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH27. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery and Panasonic FH27 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-510 comes with exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) while the Panasonic FH27 has dimensions of 99mm x 57mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") with a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-510 and Panasonic FH27 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you select at that moment. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-510 against the FH27.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-510 and FH27 is 69 and 94 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions simply by checking out technical specs. The picture below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-510 and FH27.

As you have seen, the two cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-510 using its bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FH27 will provide extra detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-510 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.