Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic FH20

On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic FH20, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and FH20 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and FH20 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was brought out 16 months before the FH20 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FH20 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-520 matches up against the FH20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Panasonic FH20 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera often, you will need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 has outside measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Panasonic FH20 has dimensions of 100mm x 56mm x 28mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic FH20 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-520 and the FH20.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and FH20 is 68 and 93 respectively.

Typically, it is very hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing merely by checking specifications. The photograph below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and FH20.

To sum up, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh simpler and the Panasonic FH20 will give extra detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.