Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic FH3

In this write-up, we are matching up the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic FH3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and FH3 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and FH3 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-520 was brought out 16 months prior to the FH3 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a complete comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the E-520 scores vs the FH3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-520 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Panasonic FH3 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-520 offers outer measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") and a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH3 has dimensions of 98mm x 55mm x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-520 versus Panasonic FH3 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at that time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-520 compared to the FH3.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and FH3 is 68 and 94 respectively.

Normally, it can be hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements only by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph below should give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-520 and FH3.

Clearly, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-520 featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Panasonic FH3 will give you more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics far more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.