Olympus FE-4000 vs Olympus OM-D E-M10: A Tale of Two Cameras Spanning a Half-Decade

When you peel back the curtain on Olympus’s camera lineup, you find intriguing contrasts that reveal not just technological leaps, but shifts in photographic philosophy. Today, I’m diving deep into a comparison between two Olympus models that emerge from very different eras and categories: the 2009 Olympus FE-4000 - a small sensor compact offering simplicity - and the 2014 Olympus OM-D E-M10, a mirrorless entry-level enthusiast camera brimming with features.

Why pit these two against each other? Because sometimes, readers ask whether "a basic, inexpensive compact" can still hold up against a more modern mirrorless in the $600 range. They also want clarity about what you gain when you stomp on that budget's gas pedal. As someone who's spent thousands of hours photowalking, testing autofocus systems, and scrutinizing sensor output in both casual and professional settings, I'll walk you through the nuts and bolts, real-world experiences, and practical advice for photographers of all levels.

Let’s embark on a photographic journey - starting with size and form, then sensor and image prowess, autofocus smarts, handling, lenses, and more - culminating in recommendations tailored to your photography needs.

First Impressions: Size, Handling, and Build - The Grip on Reality

In an era when pocketability often reigns supreme, the Olympus FE-4000 promises a negligible footprint, designed to sit snugly in your coat pocket or purse. It measures a trim 95x57x22mm and weighs a featherlight 136 grams. By contrast, the OM-D E-M10 is a chunkier, more substantial camera at 119x82x46mm and 396 grams, weighing in almost three times as much.

This size difference is profound in handling and usability. The FE-4000’s compactness is its crown jewel - it’s discreet, always ready, and demands zero extra effort to carry around. However, in practical shooting, it feels toy-like, especially if you have larger hands or shoot for extended periods. Without a dedicated grip and with minimal controls, it’s a one-button experience that quickly reveals its casual hobbyist intentions.

The OM-D E-M10, on the other hand, benefits from a sculpted grip and sturdier build quality. Its SLR-style mirrorless shape invites you to hold it securely and adjust settings quickly with thumb dials and buttons - a textbook example of ergonomic design aimed at enthusiasts. Moreover, it sports better materials with a mostly magnesium alloy body (though not weather sealed), reassuring you that it’s built to last through extensive use.

On top, the FE-4000’s minimal buttons and a small mode dial contrast sharply with the OM-D’s dedicated exposure modes, customizable dials, and strategic button placement. The E-M10’s interface is efficient and logical, while the FE-4000’s lack of serious manual controls will frustrate anyone seeking more creative freedom.

Takeaway: If you prize pocket portability above all, the FE-4000 wins hands down. But for anything beyond snapshots, the OM-D E-M10’s size and ergonomic sophistication provide a far superior shooting experience.

Peering Into the Sensor: The Heart of the Image

Here’s where the plot thickens - the FE-4000 uses a small 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor measuring 6.17 x 4.55mm, with an effective resolution of 12 megapixels. In contrast, the OM-D E-M10 rocks a much larger Four Thirds size CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm, delivering 16 megapixels.

To put it in perspective, the E-M10's sensor boasts roughly eight times the surface area of the FE-4000. This gulf in sensor size impacts everything: dynamic range, low-light performance, color depth, and noise control. Back in 2009, small CCDs were still common in compact cameras, but their limited light-gathering capacity often led to mushy shadows and crushed highlights, especially in challenging lighting.

Drawing from DxOMark benchmarks and personal lab tests, the E-M10 scores an overall 72 points, excelling in color depth (22.8 bits) and dynamic range (12.3 EV at base ISO), compared to the FE-4000 which has not been formally tested but historically performs near the bottom of these scales. Small sensors with anti-aliasing filters and CCD technology simply cannot compete with a modern Four Thirds CMOS’s ability to resolve clean, nuanced details and preserve highlight and shadow information.

Real-world impact: Landscape photographers will notice the E-M10’s superior resolution (4608x3456 vs. FE-4000’s 3968x2976), preserving fine textures in foliage and rock faces. Portrait shooters gain more natural skin tone gradations. Low-light and indoor shooters benefit tremendously from higher maximum ISO sensitivity (E-M10 goes to ISO 25600 native compared to FE-4000’s max 1600 with likely poor results beyond ISO 400).

Autofocus, Burst, and Moving Subjects - Following the Action

Autofocus is the nervous system of any camera, especially vital in wildlife, sports, and street photography. The FE-4000 offers only single, contrast-detection AF with no tracking or selectable focus area - essentially a “point-and-wait” affair. There’s no continuous AF, no face detection, and no eye tracking.

Meanwhile, the E-M10 employs a much more capable 81-point contrast detection autofocus system with face detection, single and continuous AF modes, and subject tracking. You can choose from multi-area, center-weighted, or spot metering, enabling greater creative and technical control.

The burst rate is non-applicable for the FE-4000, which shoots at a glacial pace and lacks a dedicated continuous mode. Contrastingly, the E-M10 can shoot up to 8 frames per second, though actual buffer depths and lens speed may limit this somewhat.

I tested both on moving subjects. The FE-4000’s AF was frustratingly slow and locked focus with a noticeable lag - dead last for fast action. The E-M10 tracked moderately fast-moving subjects with compelling accuracy, albeit not as fast or predictive as high-end DSLRs or flagship mirrorless models - but impressive for its class and price, making it usable for casual sports and wildlife.

Viewing and Composing: Screens, Viewfinders, and Interfaces

With the FE-4000, you’re confined to a 2.7” fixed LCD at a low resolution of 230K dots - dim, pale, and frustrating under bright sunlight. No touchscreen, no tilt, no electronic viewfinder. Composition is done by OS-level habituation, guesswork, or glancing at that tiny, somewhat dull screen.

The OM-D E-M10 adds a 3-inch, tilting TFT LCD touchscreen with 1,037K dots - bright, colorful, and responsive - plus a 1,440K dot electronic viewfinder covering 100% of the frame, along with 0.58x magnification. The EVF is a game-changer for accurate framing, especially in strong daylight or when shooting action.

The touchscreen interface on the E-M10 allows quick AF point selection, menu navigation, and settings adjustments on the fly. It’s a lightweight innovation that makes shooting intuitive and pleasurable.

Optical & Lens Ecosystem: One is Stuck, The Other Flourishes

The FE-4000 sports a fixed 4x zoom lens covering 26-105mm equivalent focal length at f/2.6 to f/5.9. While serviceable for snapshots, optics on fixed-lens compacts of this vintage are usually average - soft corners, noticeable distortion at wide and tele ends, and slow apertures limiting low-light capabilities without cranking ISO. Macro shooting on this camera is possible down to 3cm, but expect limited sharpness, given the lens and sensor combo.

The E-M10, using the Micro Four Thirds lens mount, taps into one of the broadest and most mature lens ecosystems available, boasting over 100 lenses from Olympus and third-party manufacturers. From ultra-fast primes to ultra-telephoto beasts, tilt-shift, macros, and fisheyes - the choice is vast.

The E-M10 supports sensor-based image stabilization, further expanding handheld shooting capabilities even with non-stabilized lenses. This benefits macro, telephoto, and low-light shooters alike.

Verdict: There’s no contest - the E-M10’s lens system essentially future-proofs your investment and unleashes creative possibilities, whereas the FE-4000 is forever chained to its glass coffin.

Shooting Modes and Manual Controls: Creative Freedom vs Point-and-Shoot

The FE-4000’s mode shuffle is basically point-and-shoot: no manual exposure options, no aperture/shutter priority, no exposure compensation, no RAW support (only JPEG). Autofocus zones are fixed, and white balance controls are minimal.

Conversely, the E-M10 handily supports full manual exposure controls, with shutter priority and aperture priority modes - critical features that turn it into a real tool rather than a toy. Custom white balance, exposure bracketing (AE and WB), focus modes, and advanced metering modes make the E-M10 an exercise in creative control.

This crucial difference means while the FE-4000 may satisfy casual family snapshots, the E-M10 invites deliberate photography - once you get past its learning curve, you unlock a world of expressive shooting.

Video Capabilities: From Voxelated Clips to Full HD Storytelling

Video on the FE-4000 is capped at 640x480 VGA at 30fps using Motion JPEG. Think grainy, low-resolution, anti-climactic videos with poor sound quality, no external mic input, and no modern conveniences.

The OM-D E-M10 records Full HD 1080p at 30fps (H.264) with stabilized footage. No microphone jack or headphone out, admittedly, but the video quality is clean, sharp, and competitive in its price bracket. For casual video shooters and vloggers on a budget, the E-M10 presents a viable entry point.

Durability, Battery Life, and Connectivity: Staying Power in the Field

Neither camera offers weather sealing or rugged protection, so be wary shooting in inclement weather without covers.

The FE-4000 has no officially specified battery life, but given its tiny sensor and limited features, expect fewer shots per charge compared to modern mirrorless batteries. Details are sparse, but it uses proprietary battery packs.

In contrast, the OM-D E-M10 uses a BLS-5 battery offering approximately 320 shots per charge (CIPA standard) - typical among mirrorless cameras. This is decent but will prompt carrying spares for longer outings.

Connectivity only exists on the E-M10, which boasts built-in Wi-Fi for image transfer and remote control. No Bluetooth, NFC, or GPS on either body unless externally added.

Price and Value: Evolution Embodied

At launch, the FE-4000 was priced at around $130, targeting casual users looking for very affordable point-and-shoot simplicity. The E-M10 debuted closer to $600, targeting enthusiasts stepping into the world of mirrorless.

Here’s a snapshot of overall performance and value assessments based on my rigorous testing protocols:

And when breaking down by photography genre:

Real-World Photography Across Genres: Which Camera Does What Best?

Portrait Photography

FE-4000: Limited by small sensor, no face or eye AF, and fixed zoom aperture of f/2.6-5.9. Skin tones look flat and colors less nuanced. Bokeh is weak due to sensor size and slow lens.

E-M10: Larger sensor yields natural skin gradients, accurate colors. Face and eye detection aid critical focus. Fast lenses easily create smooth background separation.

Landscape Photography

FE-4000: Small sensor limits dynamic range, resulting in clipped highlights and muddy shadows. Modest resolution captures detail but lacks crispness.

E-M10: Wide dynamic range and excellent resolution capture landscapes with punch. Lens selection allows ultra-wide options. Good RAW processing flexibility.

Wildlife Photography

FE-4000: Slow AF and no continuous tracking make it poor for animal photography.

E-M10: Decent burst and AF tracking support moderate wildlife shooting with compatible telephoto lenses.

Sports Photography

FE-4000: No chance in fast-paced action photography.

E-M10: Reasonably capable for casual sports, but struggles with very fast or erratic subjects.

Street Photography

FE-4000: Discreet due to size, but slow AF and limited controls hinder creative capture.

E-M10: Slightly bulkier but tilting screen helps candid shots. Silent shutter absent but still quiet operationally.

Macro Photography

FE-4000: Reasonable close focus but limited sharpness and control.

E-M10: Lens ecosystem includes dedicated macro optics; sensor stabilization aids handheld macro.

Night and Astro Photography

FE-4000: Small sensor and poor high ISO limit night photography.

E-M10: Good high ISO performance and manual controls support night and astro work.

Video

See previous section - E-M10 clearly superior.

Travel Photography

FE-4000: Lightweight and pocketable, but compromises image quality and creative control.

E-M10: Compact for a mirrorless, versatile lens system and quality justify added weight.

Professional Use

Pragmatically, the FE-4000 doesn’t enter this domain. E-M10 serves as an entry-level professional tool or backup camera with RAW support and manual mode, but is not a flagship.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

This comparison illustrates a stark evolutionary gap - a leap from a simple snapshot device to a versatile, high-quality mirrorless system capable of supporting serious photography ambitions. The Olympus FE-4000 remains a valid choice if you want a lightweight, no-fuss camera for casual shooting without frills or budget constraints.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10, however, represents a well-rounded, enthusiast-level camera delivering image quality, creative flexibility, and performance that’s tough to beat in its price tier - especially when paired with the vast Micro Four Thirds lens lineup.

Olympus FE 4000 front Olympus FE 4000 screen back Olympus E M10 front Olympus E M10 screen back

If you want my straightforward take:

• Choose the Olympus FE-4000 if you want an ultra-compact, lightweight camera for family events, easy carry, and fast point-and-shoot without thinking much about settings or quality.

• Go for the Olympus OM-D E-M10 if you want higher image quality, manual control, better autofocus, video capabilities, and a rich lens ecosystem - perfect for enthusiasts looking to grow skills or even professionals wanting a portable second body.

Remember, the Olympus FE-4000 is somewhat frozen in time - it is a no-frills compact suitable only for casual use - while the OM-D E-M10 delivers a solid foundation for diverse photographic journeys.

Putting Technology to the Test: Methodology Notes

I adopt a hands-on workflow testing both cameras under standardized conditions: focusing on target chart resolution tests for sharpness, real-world shooting under varied light for dynamic range and noise assessment, and tracking moving subjects to evaluate autofocus system fluidity. Battery life measured under mixed usage regimes and user interface responsiveness through scenario-based tasks.

The difference in generation and camera category means direct apples-to-apples comparison is tricky, but this assessment aims to empower readers with a grounded understanding of practical strengths and limitations.

Thanks for joining me on this detailed deep dive. Whichever camera you pick, the most important thing remains capturing moments that matter.

Happy shooting!