Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic FX90

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic FX90, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-510 (10MP) and the FX90 (12MP) is relatively close but the E-510 (Four Thirds) and FX90 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-510 was introduced 4 years before the FX90 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic FX90 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summation of how the E-510 scores against the FX90 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-510 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Panasonic FX90 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-510 comes with physical dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FX90 has measurements of 102mm x 56mm x 22mm (4.0" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-510 vs Panasonic FX90 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-510 against the FX90.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-510 and FX90 is 69 and 95 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizing merely by looking through technical specs. The graphic below may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-510 and FX90.

As you have seen, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-510 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic FX90 will provide you with more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The older E-510 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.