Olympus E-620 vs Panasonic FP8

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-620 and Panasonic FP8, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-620 (12MP) and the FP8 (12MP) is fairly similar but the E-620 (Four Thirds) and FP8 (1/2.3") use different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-620 was released within a month of the FP8 and they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-620 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic FP8 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-620 scores against the FP8 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-620 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-620 Gallery and Panasonic FP8 Gallery.

When you are going to lug around your camera often, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-620 features outside measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.4") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FP8 has dimensions of 96mm x 60mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 151 grams (0.33 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-620 and Panasonic FP8 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the E-620 vs the FP8.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-620 and FP8 is 71 and 95 respectively.

Usually, its tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading a spec sheet. The photograph here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-620 and FP8.

As you can see, the two cameras enjoy the same exact resolution but different sensor measurements. The E-620 includes the larger sensor which should make getting shallower DOF easier.