Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic FS12

In this write-up, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic FS12, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the FS12 (12MP) is pretty similar but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and FS12 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The E-510 was revealed 17 months prior to the FS12 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FS12 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a simple view of how the E-510 matches up versus the FS12 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-510 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS12. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Panasonic FS12 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-510 has got outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FS12 has measurements of 97mm x 55mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 129 grams (0.28 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic FS12 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-510 vs the FS12.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and FS12 is 69 and 95 respectively.

Quite often, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes simply by going over a spec sheet. The image here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and FS12.

Clearly, both cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-510 using its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FS12 will offer extra detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged E-510 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.