Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic FH5

Here is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic FH5, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and FH5 (16MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and FH5 (1/2.3") have different sensor size.

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The E-520 was released 3 years prior to the FH5 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FH5 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-520 grades against the FH5 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-520 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH5. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-520 Gallery and Panasonic FH5 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-520 comes with physical dimensions 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 FH5 has measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") having a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic FH5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-520 against the FH5.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and FH5 is 68 and 96 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-520 and FH5.

Clearly, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 because of its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic FH5 will give greater detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-520 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.