Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic FH1

Lets examine more closely at the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic FH1, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-520 (10MP) and the FH1 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the E-520 (Four Thirds) and FH1 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was launched 16 months before the FH1 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FH1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-520 scores versus the FH1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Panasonic FH1 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 provides exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH1 has sizing of 98mm x 55mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 163 grams (0.36 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic FH1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-520 and the FH1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-520 and FH1 is 68 and 95 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing merely by looking at specifications. The visual here should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and FH1.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic FH1 will give you greater detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.